Through The Years We Will Stay Together
by TheVoiceGrowsLouderAndStronger
Summary: AU. Kurt and Blaine meet the first time when they're seven years old. This is their story from then on.
1. Chapter 1

"How long has he been sitting out there?"

George dropped a cardboard box full of books on the kitchen counter and straightened his glasses before stepping next to his wife to look outside of the window. There, on the front yard their six-year-old ("six and seven months", he would remind them) son, Blaine, sat cross-legged on a backpack squeezing his teddy bear and pouting as three men carried furniture in to their new house.

"Should we go get him inside?", Melanie asked worriedly and turned her head slightly too se her husband's face.

"No, he's probably just a bit tired from the ride. Once the movers have left and everything is on its place, he'll feel ready to get settled"

George smiled and kissed Melanie's temple gently then walking out of the kitchen to get the last of the boxes from their car. From the window Melanie saw him walking  
past Blaine, pausing to ruffle their sons hair and Blaine crossing his arms on his chest, looking adorably annoyed. But since Blaine very rarely had the kind of sulking fits as many six-year olds, she sighed and walked out to the front lawn, smiling politely at the movers who bypassed her at the door.

"Are you alright, honey?" she asked as she squatted down next to the pouting six-year-old, careful to keep her new dress from getting dirty.

"...'M fine", Blaine mumbled and turned his head to the opposite direction from his mother's face.

"Blaine, what is it? Are you hungry?"

Blaine shook his head.

"Tired?"

Another headshake. Then, a quiet mumble.

"What was that, dear?"

"I'm homesick", Blaine said again, louder this time and turned his head to look into his mother's eyes, his hazel eyes blinking to keep tears from falling.

"Oh sweetie, come here", Melanie breathed and opened her arms to let Blaine climb into her lap. Blaine kept his teddy with him and wrapped his arms around his mothers neck tightly. She got off the ground and walked to sit on the small chair that has already been placed on the veranda.  
She stroked her sons hair softly and then pulled him a bit further away from her chest to look into his eyes.

"Blaine, I know that it can be scary to move into a whole new town, but I promise everything is going to be alright. You can choose your bedroom's color yourself if you want to and I'll do everything to make this house just as nice as our old home"

"W-what if I don't get any friends, mommy?" Blaine asked his lower lip quivering and his hazel eyes starting to water again.

"Of course you will get friends, honey. You had plenty of friends before, right? Now you'll get to make new ones", Melanie reassured with a smile and a gentle squeeze.

"But I liked my old friends", Blaine said grumpily and huffed. Melanie shook her head slowly and sighed, letting go of her son. Blaine hopped on the veranda and his mother gently pinched his cheek, before getting up.

"Why don't you go take a look at the backyard? There's a swing and a sandbox, you can go play if you'd like"

"Can Miss Cinnamon come with me too?" Blaine asked holding his teddy bear up with both hands, his mood rising to whole new heights. Melanie nodded and kissed his forehead, before patting him on the back and urging him towards the steps.

Blaine skipped to the backyard of the blue house, holding one of Miss Cinnamon's paws and ran straight to the swing.

"Would you like to try the swing first, Miss Cinnamon?" Blaine asked politely from the teddy.

"Of course, ladies first", he continued after getting his answer and carefully sat Miss Cinnamon on the seat, before stepping behind her and giving the swing a gentle push.

"What was that? You want to go higher? Are you sure, Miss Cinnamon?"

Blaine pushed harder and harder, but after a few more pushes Miss Cinnamon fell off the seat and landed on the lawn, facing the ground. Blaine's eyes widened in horror and he quickly went to crouch next to the injured teddy and lifting her gently of the ground.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Miss Cinnamon! Are you okay?"

He held the bear close to his chest and moved it to lie on the edge of the sandbox, of course brushing the sand off first, he _is _a gentleman after all, and stroking her furred cheek softly.

"Don't go anywhere Miss Cinnamon, you're not healthy enough to move", Blaine warned before getting of his knees and brushing his pants clean, "I'm going to get you some flowers to cheer you up!"

He then went right next to the low hedgerow and started to pick up small daisies. After Blaine was holding the five prettiest flowers he had found, he crouched down to see if there were any more flowers under the hedge. His smile widened when he spotted a blue flower that would look absolutely perfect in his bouquet, in the small forest other side of the hedge and crawled to it, brushing his hair with his fingers to get the leaves and twigs out of it.

Just when he was about to grab the flower a small butterfly, with colorful wings landed on it. He was surprised for a moment and watched as its beautiful wings fluttered in fascination before shaking his head slightly and moving his hand to shoo it away.

"No!"

Blaine recoiled and fell on his bum when he heard the voice, and quickly looked around to see the person who had shouted. A small boy about his age, wearing rather odd clothes as well as an interesting hat, who had a camera hanging from his neck, stepped out of the bushes and huffed angrily.

"Why did you scare it away? I have to go back soon and I haven't gotten a single picture today", the boy said and stomped over to Blaine.

Blaine blinked at him and got up slowly, pausing to make sure his pants weren't too dirty, and then looked at the boy curiously.

"Why are you wearing such a funny hat?" he asked, ignoring the boy's question, and poking the hat on his head.

"It's a pith helmet", the boy corrected and swatted Blaine's hand away. "And now if you'll excuse me, I have a butterfly to find", he continued and straightened his cross-country patterned breeches.

The boy hurried past him, but Blaine ran after, forgetting his daisies on the ground. The boys walked quickly, Blaine jogging behind the other boy who was ignoring him and humming under his breath, his camera jumping against his chest.

"Why were you trying to catch that butterfly?" Blaine asked his head tilted to the side, as the boy climbed on a large rock to look around.

"I wasn't trying to _catch _it, I was trying to take a picture of it", the boy answered, sounding very annoyed. Suddenly he smiled widely and jumped off the rock to run to a trunk of a fallen tree and grabbed his camera. Blaine followed after him, curiously trying to peek over the other boy's shoulder.

Blaine heard the camera click and the boy got up, turning to Blaine and smiling widely

"It was a sliver-spotted skipper! I didn't have a picture of one yet"

Blaine smiled back at the boy. It was funny how he seemed like a completely different person when he wasn't mad at people for scaring butterflies away.

"My name is Blaine, by the way", he said and offered his hand for the boy to shake.

"Kurt", the boy introduced himself and shook Blaine's hand.

"So, why were you trying to take a picture of that butterfly?"Blaine asked and leaned against a tree trunk next to Kurt.

"I collect pictures of butterflies. It's kind of my hobby", Kurt answered, sounding proud of himself. "So far I have 76 pictures, but I haven't taken all of them myself"

"Wow. That's cool. I don't think I have 76 anythings"

"You really think it's cool?" Kurt asked, his ears flushed red.

Blaine grinned and nodded enthusiastically, "Yeah, it's really cool. I would very much like to see your other pictures too"

"R-really?" Kurt sounded genuinely shocked and nearly dropped the camera he was still fiddling with.

"Yes. I mean, if it's okay and if you live close enough. My mom always says that I can't wander too far from home. I'm not sure what's too far, but I still would like to see your pictures, because then we might become friends and I just moved here, so it would be nice to get a friend, and you seem fun, even though you wear a weird helmet"

Kurt blinked at Blaine and then slowly opened his mouth. "S-sure. I live just down the street, but you should probably still ask your mom if it's okay to come. My mommy always gets super worried if she doesn't know where I am"

Blaine leaned away from the tree trunk and smiled, shoving a few missing teeth, before taking off back to his house, Kurt scrambling after him.

* * *

" Mom! Mommy!"

Melanie heard excited Blaine's shouts from the backyard and smiled. He had probably once again found a shiny stone or then Miss Cinnamon had done something absolutely amazing, but whatever it was he was clearly recovering from his earlier sulking. She closed the book she had been absentmindedly paging through and got up from the kitchen chair and walked to the backyard.

Blaine nearly knocked her over when he bumped into her in his hurry to find his mother.

"Mommy, mommy! I think I just made a friend, and he takes pictures of butterflies and it's really cool and he lives super close to us and I promise I won't get lost if you let me go to visit his house. Please, please, please, can I go?"

Melanie stood still for a moment just for pure amazement, but after a moment focused her attention on her son again and kneeled in front of him.

"Honey, I think I need to meet this friend of yours before I can say anything. And where did you meet him exactly?"

Blaine let out an exaggerated sigh and rolled his eyes. "I was picking flowers for Miss Cinnamon, 'cause she fell from the swing and then I saw a really pretty flower on the other side of the hedge and then I went to get it, but then a butterfly flew on it and I was like 'I'll shoo it away and give the flower to Miss Cinnamon', but then Kurt came and shouted ' No!' and I got startled and the butterfly flew away, but it's okay because Kurt found another butterfly and took a picture and then he was really happy an-"

"Blaine, Blaine, sweetie. What did we talk about last week?" Melanie reminded her son and smiled sweetly, squeezing his shoulders.

Blaine blushed a bit and mumbled a quiet 'sorry'.

"It's okay, honey. So you crawled to the other side of the hedge? Blaine, I'm glad you made a friend, but promise me that you won't ever do that again. It could be very, very dangerous"

Blaine nodded, looking very serious, but then turned his head to look behind him and pulled himself off from his mother's grasp. Melanie only then noticed the small boy standing a few feet behind Blaine who was hastily brushing his hair with his fingers and fiddling with a pith helmet with his other hand. Blaine grabbed his wrist and pulled Kurt in front of his mother with him.

"This is Kurt, mom", Blaine introduced and Kurt shyly extended his hand to Melanie. "Hi".

Melanie smiled at Kurt and shook his small hand. "So, Kurt, I understood that Blaine would like to go to your house to play?"

"Yes, ma'am", Kurt said and nodded. "I live on the same street as you, just a couple houses down"

"Well that's good. But Kurt, would you mind if I walked Blaine and you to your house and made sure your parents are okay with it?"

Kurt shook his head and smiled a bit wider. "No, I don't mind. Do you mean that Blaine can come over?"

Melanie giggled as both boys shared an excited look and grinned at each other.

"Of course he can, if your parents don't have anything against it"

"C'mon, c'mon let's go already!" Blaine jumped up and down, his hand now slipped from Kurt's wrist to holding his hand.

Melanie walked behind the boys, who were skipping down the street, chatting animatedly with each other. Kurt stopped in front of a creamy white house and waited politely for Mrs. Anderson to catch up with them. Then the three of them walked up the steps, Kurt and Blaine sharing excited grins. Melanie rang the doorbell and only seconds later a woman with blue eyes and brown hair like Kurt's came to answer the door.

"Oh, hello", she said, sounding a bit taken a back, when she noticed that her son had company. "How can I help you?"

Melanie patted Blaine on the shoulder as a sign for him to let her talk this time, before Blaine could open his mouth and end up crawling and begging at Kurt's mother's feet.

"Hi, I'm Melanie Anderson and this is my son Blaine. We just moved here"

"Oh, welcome to the neighborhood then", Kurt's mother said and flashed a beautiful smile. "I'm Elizabeth Hummel. I see you have met my son already", she turned her eyes to Kurt and grinned at her blushing son.

"Yes, actually Blaine and Kurt were going to come play to your house, but I thought it would be best for me to come with them to make sure it's alright with you"

Elizabeth blinked in surprise, but then smiled again and stepped aside from the door to let the boys in. "Of course, you just make yourself at home, Blaine"

Blaine nodded and grinned at Kurt's mother. "Thank you Mrs. Hummel, you have a lovely house"

"Oh my, aren't you a little gentleman?" Elizabeth giggled and waved at the two boys, who disappeared downstairs into Kurt's room.

She then turned back to Melanie, who was already making her way out of the Hummels' small porch.

"Would you like to come in for tea?" Melanie turned around and raised her eyebrows in question.

"I was just making some and since Kurt now has something else to do, I could use some company while Burt's at work", Elizabeth continued and leaned against the doorframe.

"Sure, I would love to"

"You have a nice room", Blaine commented and Kurt mumbled a 'thank you' from his small closet.

Kurt's room was very nice indeed, at least compared to any other small boys' rooms Blaine had seen. Kurt had the whole basement to himself and the banister on the stairs that led to the room had small lights wrapped around it. They kind of reminded Blaine of the Christmas lights his dad always puts up in December, but they didn't look weird in Kurt's room even if it was June instead of December. The walls were light blue, as well as the two round mats on the floor, which was brown laminate. Kurt had a big comfy bed pressed up against the far wall of the room, and in addition to that the room had a small dresser, a few boxes that Blaine assumed were for toys, toy oven and a doll house.

Kurt walked out of the closet with a shoebox in his hands and walked over to his bed.

"You can come sit here too, it's more comfortable than the floor", he told Blaine as he opened the shoe box and dropped its contents on the bedding.

Blaine got up from the floor and sat next to Kurt, eyeing the many pictures lying on the bed.

"Can you name _all _of them?" he asked his eyes wide and fingered a few pictures.

"Yeah. I have a lot of time to learn. I have lots of books. I don't really do anything else besides staying home and taking pictures", Kurt said and shrugged.

"Don't you play with your friends?" Blaine asked, his brows furrowing.

Kurt looked down and shook his head. "You're kinda my first friend"

Blaine sat for a moment trying to think what to do. Kurt sounded kind of sad, but not the kind of sad that he was about to cry, but his mother always says that if someone is feeling sad the best cure is a hug. Blaine wasn't sure if Kurt was I-need-a-hug-sad, or something-else-sad, but he decided to play it safe and leaned over to hug him.

"I think that's stupid", he said trying to think of something to say that would cheer Kurt up. "You deserve a hundred friends, if you can name 78 butterflies"

"76", Kurt corrected, when Blaine released him from the hug and smiled.

"This is my favorite", Kurt said quickly and a handed Blaine a picture. "Blue morpho"

The butterfly had beautiful vibrant blue wings and Blaine thought it was probably his favorite of Kurt's pictures too.

"My aunt took it when she was in Mexico and gave it to me as a souvenir", Kurt smiled softly and stared at the picture lost in thought.

"It's really pretty", Blaine said and placed the picture gently back in the shoe box. "Show me the rest"


	2. Chapter 2

Weeks flew by. Kurt and Blaine developed a tight friendship and the two boys were rarely seen without the other. Only a few rainy days and Blaine's visit to his grandmother kept them apart that summer. Their parents got closer too. Melanie and Elizabeth often spent the day chatting together while the boys were playing and their husbands could be found in the living room, watching football or any other sport that happened to be on.

But then the summer came to an end and it was time for the boys to start school.

* * *

_1 year later_

Burt and Elizabeth were snuggled up on the couch, watching Titanic, enjoying together of the peaceful quietness of the house, that would end once the boys would get back from school. And surely enough, when Leonardo DiCaprio was being framed for thievery on the screen, the front door banged open and a red cheeked Kurt ran into the living room.

"Dad, you have to teach me how to play soccer!" he

Burt and Elizabeth both stared Kurt their eyebrows raised and then straightened up to a proper sitting position, Elizabeth taking the remote and pausing the movie.

"What did you say?" Burt asked, surprised about his sons request. Kurt had never shown any interest towards sports, he was content with his dollhouse and toy microphone and whatever that stuff he had was. And Burt had never pushed him, he was perfectly fine with letting Kurt choose his hobbies, but still he felt a warmth in his heart at the thought that he could spent afternoons in the backyard with his son, teaching him about sports.

Kurt dropped his backpack on the floor and sat on Burt's armchair, his parents still eyeing him warily.

"Thomas Taylor asked Blaine and some other boys from our class to play soccer with fourth graders. I asked if I could come, because Blaine was going too, but he said that they don't want a pansy like me, who can't even play soccer with them"

Burt frowned and leaned forward on the couch so he could squeeze Kurt's shoulder. "Kurt, does that Thomas kid call you names often?"

"Yeah, I guess. But it doesn't bother me, and Blaine usually sticks up for me. I just want to prove him wrong, so maybe he'd stop acting like such a jerk to me "

"Kurt, if Thomas is causing you trouble, you know that you can talk to us or miss Pickett or any other teacher about it, right?" Elizabeth asked worriedly.

"I know. I just think that he's trying to act tough, so I have no need to take him seriously", Kurt said matter-of-factly.

"You're clearly a Hummel", Burt laughed and smiled proudly, patting his son's shoulder. "But are you sure that proving Thomas wrong is a good reason to learn soccer? It can be dirty and sweaty job, and I know how much you hate sweat"

Kurt contemplated his father's words for a moment before talking. "I really want to learn soccer, dad. Could you please teach me?"

"So basically, when your running with the ball, you just kick it to keep moving. But don't kick too hard, because then you might kick it too far and the other player gets it"

Elizabeth lied on the hammock reading, while Burt was teaching Kurt soccer. It was clear to anyone with eyes that Kurt had never tried it before, but he made up for his lack of skills with a lot of enthusiasm.

Kurt walked slowly, while kicking the ball alternately with his feet, his tongue sticking out in concentration.

"Okay, good, that's better", Burt cheered on. "Now try running"

Kurt run as fast as he could while trying to keep the ball to himself. He ran towards the makeshift goal, Burt had made by pushing two broomstick's to the ground.

"Okay good, now shoot!"

"What?"

"Kick!"

Kurt stopped and kicked the ball as hard as he could with his right foot. The ball hit the other broomstick, successfully knocking it to the ground, but even after that it  
kept flying, until it hit Elizabeth's rose bushes and caused a few twigs as well as some flowers to fall from it.

Elizabeth straightened in the hammock and stared at her beautiful roses in horror as Burt grinned widely at Kurt.

"Even if you aren't the best dribbler, when you get a chance to score your goal that Thomas won't have any idea what hit him"

* * *

"Kurt!"

Kurt instantly recognized the voice and turned to smile at Blaine, who was running towards him, just when the school bus was turning the corner to their street.

"Kurt, I'm sorry about what happened yesterday. I didn't know that Thomas had said that to you, when I heard I told him not to be so mean and I left from the field right away", Blaine panted when he finally reached his best friend.

"It's okay", Kurt assured. "I had more fun at home anyway", he said and climbed into the bus, Blaine following after him.

They sat next to each other in the middle part of the bus, because no one wanted to sit at the front, aside from Rachel Berry and all the trouble makers and bullies sat at the back.

"Do you think I could play soccer with you guys in the recess?" Kurt asked after they had sat in silence for a moment (well, not in real silence, it _was_ a school bus).

"Sure! And if the others say something mean to you, then I won't play either, deal?"

"Deal", Kurt agreed and smiled.

"So what did you do yesterday? I'm sorry I didn't come to visit, but mom said told me to clean my room", Blaine said apologetically.

"I just baked cookies with mom. And then we watched this really awesome nature show together"

"That's cool"

Kurt bit his lip to keep from smiling. He didn't say anything about practicing soccer because he wanted Blaine to be just as surprised as the others would be when he  
would score his goal. Everyone would be shocked to see a wuss like Kurt Hummel beat the great fourth- grader Thomas Taylor.

* * *

Kurt was nearly sleepwalking whole day, waiting for the last recess when the boys would go to play. He doodled little stick figures on his math book, when Rachel Berry, the girl who sat next to him in their class nudged his side with her elbow.

"What?" he whispered.

Rachel looked pointedly at their teacher, miss Picket, who was looking at Kurt in expectation.

"I'm sorry, miss, I don't think I heard your question", he said quickly and smiled apologetically.

"I thought so. Try to stay focused, Kurt", miss Pickett said tiredly and turned back to the blackboard.

"A simple 'thank you' would be nice", Rachel whispered at Kurt, but kept her eyes focused on miss Pickett.

"Thank you", Kurt mumbled and rolled his eyes. He had never been the biggest fan of Rachel Barbra Berry, as she had introduced herself on the very first day of school.

"I have noticed how absent you have been today. Is something wrong?"

Kurt groaned quietly and forced a polite smile on his face.

"I'm fine, Rachel. I'm just excited about something"

"What is it?" Rachel asked, now turning to face Kurt an excited gleam in her eyes.

"I'm going to beat Thomas Taylor in soccer", Kurt told her proudly once he couldn't hold his answer back any longer.

"The fourth-grader? He's an idiot. He threw my gold star sticker's into the dumpster and stole my shoes"

Kurt nodded at Rachel's words, trying his best to look like he was interested.

"You be sure to beat him Kurt Hummel. I promise to come cheer for you"

Kurt blinked in surprise but then smiled at the girl. "O-okay. Thanks Rachel"

"Kurt Hummel and Rachel Berry! Do you wish to share something with the class?" miss Pickett asked in annoyance and pointed at the two of them with her sharp red nails.

"No, miss Pickett", they said in unison and got back to their books.

* * *

"Kurt's going to play with us today", Blaine said defiantly, challenging the other boys to pick on his best friend.

Everyone groaned and muttered quiet 'oh no's', but Kurt kept his head held high and stared at Thomas, who was standing amongst the others, holding the soccer ball in his hand.

"Fine, we'll let the pansy play", the fourth-grader huffed. "But if you start crying we're kicking you out"

"Noted", Kurt answered patiently. "Now were we going to play or talk?"

"...Whatever"

Blaine smiled at Kurt and gave him a thumbs up to which Kurt answered by smirking smugly.

It was no surprise to Kurt that he was the last one getting picked, and even though he was sad that Blaine was in Thomas' team , he was still confident to make everyone see just how good he was.

The first six minutes of the recess were boring in Kurt's part. No one in his team was letting him touch the ball. Even if he tried to take it from someone in the opposite team, his teammates would come and steal the ball before he had the chance to do anything. But still Rachel kept cheering him on and shouting his name from the side of the field, and it did make him feel a little better. And he could still watch Blaine play, like always. It was different now that he wasn't sitting at the side of the field with the girls, cheering him on, but it was still fun.

Kurt's team's Jeffrey had the ball again and he was running through Thomas' team's defense all by himself, on his way to scoring his fourth goal of the day, that would break the tie and ensure their teams win. Kurt glanced at the big clock on the school wall and saw that there was only a minute left to the recess. Clearly he wasn't going to get his shot at proving Thomas wrong today. He sighed and already turned to leave the field, when he heard Jeffrey shouting behind him.

A boy from Thomas' team had tackled Jeffrey and no the two of them were lying on the ground, wrestling and shouting at each other. The ball bounced past them, everyone else taking off after it when they noticed where it was going. Right towards Kurt.

Kurt swears that from that moment on, everything happened in slow motion. He ran to the ball as fast as he could, reaching it only a few seconds before Harry had gotten to it. He then ran towards the goal, dodging the few boys running towards him. In front of the goal stood a shocked Thomas Taylor, and Kurt smirked at him before kicking the ball even harder than he had yesterday while practicing, causing himself to fall and land on his back.

He kept his eyes squeezed shut, waiting for any sign that would prove his victory. He heard the bell ringing and then Jeffrey's surprised voice.

"We won"

"Holy crapcakes! Hummel scored a winning goal!" someone else shouted.

After that everything around Kurt turned into a blur of his excited teammates, who patted him on the back or apologized their previous behavior insisting that Kurt was a hero instead of a pansy.

Kurt smiled widely at everyone and thanked them, but then Mrs. Westlake, who had been one of the recess supervisors came to shoo the boys inside and back to their classrooms.

"That was awesome!" Blaine exclaimed when he finally reached Kurt and hugged him tightly.

"That idiot Thomas won't be calling you pansy anytime soon! You were great!"

"Thanks", Kurt giggled once Blaine let go of him and grinned.

Everyone in the classroom burst into applause as Kurt walked inside. He blushed, but took a bow in front of the whole room before walking to his seat.

"That was great, Kurt I knew you could do it!" Rachel said excitedly and gave him a quick hug.

"Thanks, Rachel. You were a great cheerleader", Kurt told the girl and smiled warmly.

Kurt was feeling like he was on top of the world and nothing, even a hundred Thomas Taylors, could stop him from doing what he wanted. But once he would get home, he would get the cruelest possible wake up call to reality that any eight-year old could have.


	3. Chapter 3

"You want to come in? I really feel like baking, and I could use your help"

"I have to go ask mom if it's okay, but you know she always says yes. I'll be there in a bit!" Blaine said and turned to run to their house, glancing back at Kurt and giving him a small wave.

Kurt waved back before walking up the steps to the door. It was locked, which was odd, because usually Burt and Elizabeth were both home when Kurt's school bus dropped him off. Kurt shrugged and slid his backpack off to dig for the small key his parents had given him for these kind of situations.

Kurt twisted the lock and pulled the key carefully from the keyhole. Burt had once accidentally broken his key in his hurry to get inside before the game started and they had had to replace the lock.

"Mom? Dad? I'm home", he shouted and closed the door behind him, kicking his shoes off and placing them neatly against the wall.

"I guess they're not here", Kurt mumbled to himself. It was kind of disappointing really. He had looked forward to running in and telling his parents about his first victorious soccer game.

Kurt walked into his room, tossing his backpack on the bed and going to his closet to put another t-shirt on to replace the sweaty one he was wearing. Once he was dressed he walked back upstairs and went into the kitchen to eat some cereals. Then the doorbell rang and Kurt ran to open the door for Blaine, smiling widely.

But when he pulled the door open he noticed that Blaine wasn't alone. He was standing at the door with Melanie, who was sniffing loudly and whose cheeks had black streaks from her dripping mascara. Her normally well done hairdo gone, replaced by a mass of black curls, that were hastily pulled to a ponytail.

"Mrs. Anderson, what's wrong?" Kurt asked and glanced quickly at Blaine, who just shook his head, his eyes wide with confusion.

Melanie sobbed loudly and suddenly Kurt felt her arms wrapping tightly around him. He was a bit shocked. Mrs. Anderson had never hugged him before, and she had always seemed like a very composed person to Kurt. Seeing her sobbing on her neighbors' doorstep, clinging to Kurt, was something that he had never expected to see.

"Oh, Kurt", she finally managed to get out and pulled away from Kurt, but kept her hands on his shoulders. "Burt asked me to come get you. There has been an accident"

"An accident? What accident?" Kurt asked his eyebrows knitting together, while Blaine looked at his mother and Kurt worriedly.

"Kurt, your mother was in a car crash. She's in the hospital"

After that Melanie's voice faded out. Kurt could only hear the pounding of his own heart as Melanie pulled him after her to the car she had parked in front of the Hummels' house. Blaine sat on the backseat and moved as close to his friend as he could get taking his limp hand, but Kurt didn't even squeeze back. He just stared at the back of Melanie's head seeing nothing.

* * *

The drive to the hospital felt like it took forever to everyone in the car. Kurt sat still the whole time, not caring about Blaine's small whispers and squeezes of his hand. But Blaine still kept trying to get his friend's attention. It was scary to see Kurt act so... un-Kurt. Blaine felt like he could start crying too. Melanie's other hand was off the wheel and she was biting her nails nervously, tears threatening to spill again, thinking about her best friend in various states of pain, lying on an operating table covered in blood.

When they finally got to the hospital parking lot, Kurt's hands were shaking so badly that Blaine had to unbuckle his seatbelt for him. Once they got inside, Kurt wassqueezing Blaine's hand painfully hard without even realizing it, but Blaine acted like he didn't feel a thing. Melanie kept her left hand on Kurt's shoulder as they walked to the reception desk and asked for Elizabeth Hummel.

The nurse behind the counter seemed to understand who they were and told that Burt was waiting in the cafeteria with George. She smiled compassionately at Kurt, who was still blind and deaf to everything happening around him.

Melanie and the boys walked to the elevator, passing many nurses and a few patients, who all smiled politely at them. Blaine didn't even bother to ask to press the button in the elevator like he normally would. Once they got to the third floor cafeteria, Kurt seemed to become more alive, his eyes frantically searching for his father.

"Dad!"

Kurt dropped Blaine's hand and ran to his father, who lifted his head from his hands when he heard the shout. As soon as Kurt reached his father's and George's table he practically jumped on Burt's lap and buried his face in his neck. Burt wrapped his arms around his son, his face still stuck in a pained expression.

Melanie sat next to her husband and greeted him with a small peck on the cheek, Blaine following behind her and sitting opposite from Burt and Kurt, looking worriedly at the two of them.

"Is mommy okay?" Kurt whispered against his father's neck and Burt had to bite his lip to keep from crying.

"I don't know, buddy. She's in a surgery, so we'll have to wait until the doctors are done. They'll then tell us everything."

Kurt nodded and pulled back from Burt to sit properly in his lap, no longer clinging to him. His eyes were glistening, but the tears hadn't spilled over.

"... I'll go get you boys something to eat", George said after a moment and got up.

Melanie reached her hand to squeeze Burt's shoulder and tried to smile, but it came out looking more like a grimace.

"What did the doctors say?"

Burt eyed Kurt warily before clearing his throat, catching his son's attention. "Kurt, we'll have to wait for quite some time, so why don't you and Blaine go check out that play area, okay?"

Kurt looked reluctant. Melanie gave her son a meaningful look and Blaine got up walking next to Kurt and giving him a small smile before taking his hand again.

"C'mon. They might have coloring books"

Kurt gave his father one last timid look then getting of his lap and walking to the play area in the corner f the cafeteria hand in hand with Blaine.

The second the boys were out of sight Burt turned into a different man. His shoulders slumped and he started sniffing loudly, his face holding the same blank expression Kurt was wearing earlier.

"It's bad, Melanie... It's really bad. That drunk driver was driving like a maniac, and Lizzie's car crumpled like a freaking tin can. The doctor said her chances of making through the surgery are little to none"

Melanie's hand flew on her mouth and she gasped loudly, tears springing into her eyes.

"Oh, Burt. I-I'm so sorry"

"I-It's not like she's dead yet. I just- I can't give Kurt false hope, b-but I don't want to break him either"

Melanie got up quickly to give Burt a tight hug, both of them now letting their tears fall freely and sharing their sadness and pain together, Burt thinking about his beloved wife, Kurt's mother, and how just the thought about losing her was heartbreaking.

George came back, holding to juice boxes and sandwiches, halting when he saw Burt and Melanie. Sighing, he walked over to them and set the food on the table before sitting back next to Burt and leaning in to give him an awkward short side-hug once his wife let go of him.

"Burt, we want you to know that whatever happens today, Blaine, Melanie and I will be there for you and Kurt", he said and smiled encouragingly.

"Thank you, George", Burt said gratefully, offering a small smile of his own to his neighbors.

* * *

"Blaine?"

"Hmm?" Blaine mumbled from his chair, still leaning over his drawing on the small table, coloring it furiously.

"Do you think my mom is going to die?"

Blaine's crayon paused, and he lifted his head to look at Kurt, who sat on the floor next to him leaning against the wall twirling a pink stuffed animal, that had probably once been a rabbit absentmindedly in his hands. The few other kids running around the play area paid no attention to them. Most were playing on the indoor climbing frame or playing with the worn toys.

"I- I don't know", Blaine muttered, not sure what the right answer was.

"I know you don't know, but what do you think?" Kurt asked again, this time lifting his head up and looking at Blaine with a mixture of fear and curiousness in his eyes.

Blaine slid off his chair and sat down next to Kurt, their knees bumping together, his eyebrows furrowed like they always were when he was thinking.

"I think... She's going to be fine", Blaine finally said, sounding sure of himself.

"Okay. Thanks", Kurt said in a small voice.

Blaine watched his best friend intently, though there was nothing else to see but a shell of a small boy, covering all the confusion and sorrow underneath.

"I drew a picture of us", Blaine told Kurt quietly. "Would you like to see?"

Kurt shrugged, not looking in Blaine's direction who got on his knees and reached on the table to grab his drawing then falling back on his bum, and spreading the paper between him and Kurt.

"That's me", Blaine said and pointed at a figure with messy dark hair and a bowtie. "I thought that I should draw a bowtie, 'cause you always compliment them when I'm wearing one"

"And that's you", Blaine said pointing at the second figure who was holding Blaine's hand. "I colored your eyes extra carefully, because you have really pretty eyes and I didn't want to draw them wrong", he explained and smiled shyly at Kurt, who was now leaning over the drawing and looking at it in awe.

"Is that my mom?" Kurt asked and took a closer look of the figure in a red dress, which had blue eyes, exactly like his.

"Yeah", Blaine nodded. "I colored her dress red, because you said that the red dress she wore to your birthday was her favorite one. The one with the cap next to her is your dad, and those are my parents, and I drew miss Cinnamon in there too, look she's sitting on the back of that butterfly", Blaine told excitedly and pointed at the figures he was naming.

Kurt's mouth twitched and his eyes looked happier again, as they gazed at the drawing.

"It's really good. You can draw well", he said and smiled a little.

"Thanks" Blaine blushed and hid his proud smile by pressing his chin against his chest. "You can have it if you want to"

"Really?" Kurt asked, sounding surprised, but definitely happy.

Blaine took the drawing and folded it so it would fit in Kurt's pocket before handing it to him. "Yes, you can take it"

Kurt hugged Blaine tightly and thanked him, pushing the drawing deep into his pocket to make sure it wouldn't fall.

The boys then got up and walked back to the table, sitting down next to their parents and wordlessly digging into their lunches.

* * *

An hour later a doctor walked up to them, Burt immediately getting up from his chair and walking to the hallway with him.

Melanie and George changed hopeful and fearful looks the whole time they were waiting for him to get back, both unable to speak. Blaine scooted closer to Kurt and leaned against him so their shoulders were touching and stroked his arm gently, like her mother always did to him if he was worried or tense.

When Burt came back, everyone nearly snapped their necks in their hurry to see his face, and held their breath, waiting for him to speak.

Burt opened his mouth, but no words came out. Instead a strangled sob broke out from his chest and wrecked his whole body. George hurried to keep him upright,before he would collapse on the floor, and whispered something the others couldn't make out in his friend's ear.

Melanie turned her head away to hide her tears, but everyone could still hear her stifled sobs. After Burt nodded at George, showing him that he was okay to walk, the other man let go of him and Burt walked over to his son, who was staring at him with wide eyes that, surprisingly enough, were not glistening with tears like his own.

Blaine politely detached himself from his friend's side and allowed Burt to take Kurt's hand and guide him outside of the cafeteria.

After Burt had walked far enough from the Andersons, he gently pushed Kurt to lean against the wall, so they wouldn't be on the way of hospital staff and patients, and kneeled then in front of him, placing his hands on his son's shoulders.

The two of them looked into each other's eyes, both seeing the same dark feelings in the other's eye that were raging inside their own head, already knowing what was going to happen next.

"Kurt, your mother... She- she's gone, buddy"

"She died?" Kurt whispered incredulously.

"Yes. She didn't make it through the surgery. But I promise, that you and I will get through this. We won't ever forget her and we'll be sad for a long time, and I guess a part of us will always be mourning, but the two of us will keep living, okay?" Burt's normally laid back and playful tone, was serious and his eyes were gazing deeply into Kurt's, showing a fire that Kurt had never seen in them before.

Kurt nodded after a moment, and finally let out a sob. Nurses who passed them gave sympathetic looks, as Burt pulled Kurt in his arms and lifted him off the ground, carrying him back in the cafeteria, where he left Kurt to be watched over by Melanie and George while he went to go through some paperwork.

Melanie hugged Kurt tightly, whispering sweet nonsense in his ear and her husband ruffled his hair gently before Kurt went to sit next to Blaine and pressed himself against his side, Blaine wrapping both of his hands around him and leaning his head against the top of Kurt's.

"Sh-she d-died", Kurt sobbed against his friends chest.

"I'm so sorry, Kurt", Blaine said, even he knew that it wasn't his fault. He had always thought it was weird to say sorry when someone died, because it's not like _he_ had killed them. But right now he didn't care that it was weird. He just wanted to help his friend and be there for him.

"She's g-gone, Blaine. S-she left m-me"

Blaine didn't know what to say. He badly wanted to make Kurt feel better, but he was only a one eight-year old, he couldn't do wonders. So he just settled for patting Kurt's back soothingly and leaning closer to him.

"B-Blaine?" Kurt said after his sobs had died out and only the quiet tears kept running down his face. "_You_ won't leave me, right? Promise?"

"I promise", Blaine said and squeezed Kurt even tighter. "And I don't think your mother left you completely either" He said thoughtfully. "I bet she'll become your guardian angel"

"Really?" Kurt asked, sounding hopeful.

"Yeah, of course. She's still with you, you just can't see her"

"I bet mom will be the most beautiful guardian angel of 'em all", Kurt whispered sleepily before closing his eyes in exhaustion and slumping against Blaine, falling to a deep sleep with dreams filled with red dresses, blue eyes and white weathers.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hello, and btw, thank you so much for your follows and favorites and reviews! Now, I just want to warn you that this chapter is a bit rushed, because I actually wrote this after the future chapters I've been working on, but I felt that something was missing, so this is kind of a filler. Thank you again, and you've been warned!**

* * *

George lifted his head from the paper when he heard the slam and frowned. Since he'd just heard the school bus driving by, the person who had come in had to be Blaine, but he never _slammed _the door shut.

"Blaine? Is that you?" he asked and set his paper back on the table.

"Yeah, it's me", came Blaine's grumpy reply from the door and after moments of rustling from Blaine's quilted jacket and a few knocks that could only be caused by kicking your shoes off against the wall, Blaine dragged himself into the kitchen.

George eyed his son and his ruffled appearance before sighing and pulling his glasses off. Blaine padded to his father as he pulled the chair next to him out and gestured with his head for Blaine come sit down.

"What's wrong?"

" Kurt wasn't at school today. He's sick", Blaine mumbled, " And, I- I almost got detention".

"What? You?" George asked incredulously, nearly bursting into laughter but he straightened when he saw the look on his son's face. "Uh, I meant, what did you do, Blaine?"

"I hit Kevin Evans"

"Kevin Evans...", George muttered, trying to remember who the boy was. "Is he on your class?"

"No, he's a fourth grader"

George nodded. And then he nodded again.

Both were sitting in silence, Blaine occasionally letting out an annoyed huff and George struggling to figure out what to say. Their son had never caused any trouble. It was like he had skipped over so many tantrums and phases of childhood, that George had never actually treated him like the small child he was. Or given him any lectures.

"Why did you hit him, Blaine?" he finally asked sternly, " You should know that it's never acceptable to hit someone!"

" But, he was making fun of Kurt! And.. I was just really mad, and he called Kurt.. something, and all his friends laughed, and then I just hit him", Blaine finished, looking more upset than earlier and hanging his head in shame. "I'm sorry, dad. I didn't know what to do"

"Well, you should be sorry. I understand that you wanted to defend your friend, but violence is never the answer, Blaine. You have to remember that", George said and looked pointedly at his son.

"I'll remember, dad. And I'll apologize to Kevin when the school starts again", Blaine said, sounding sincere and looking seriously into George's eyes.

"Good"

George ruffled Blaine's hair and went to grab the paper and continue his reading, but he was interrupted by Blaine clearing his throat awkwardly.

"I was just wondering, if I could go see Kurt?"

"Blaine, I don't think it's a good idea. Didn't you just say that he's sick?" George said, stretching his hand and taking the paper, not looking at Blaine. Because he knew the power those puppy eyes had and, _that_ is a lot of power.

"I know, but I just want to go see if he's any better than in the morning. You could come with me? That way you'll make sure that I won't stay too long. It's a good idea, right?"

Now George could practically hear the eyes.

"Please daaaad?"

George groaned quietly and cursed his weakness before placing the paper back on the table and getting up.

"Fine. But we're only going for half an hour. At most", he said pointing at Blaine, trying to maintain a strict look on his face.

"Okay, dad!" Blaine exclaimed as he ran past George to get his clothes.

George shook his head slowly and shambled after his son, who already had his jacket hastily thrown on, and a green woolly hat his grandmother had given him nearly falling from his head, as he tried to get his shoes back on.

The pair finally got dressed -though George had intentionally lingered just to get Blaine annoyed- and they walked over to the Hummels' house, both throwing little snowballs at each other playfully along the way, and smiling widely to each other.

Blaine skipped up the stairs to the porch, and didn't even bother to knock before rushing inside.

"Hey, Mr. Hu- Burt!" George heard him shout as he closed the door behind him, and straightened the shoes Blaine had kicked off, successfully getting snow everywhere.

"So, I'm guessing Blaine wanted to visit Kurt?" Burt asked, a small smirk playing on his lips when he appeared from the living room.

"Yeah, I, uh, I hope you don't mind", George said apologetically and took off his jacket and scarf.

"No, of course not. It might actually be good for Kurt. He's been feeling a little down lately", Burt said as he walked back into the living room with his friend and flopped

down on the couch, George following after him.

"Well, can you blame him? It's only been, what? A month and a half?" George said tentatively.

"I know, but I just I want to make this work and this to be as easy as possible for Kurt, but... I don't know how to do things. Like Lizzie did, I mean. I suck at bedtime stories and I haven't really done any Christmas preparations before, and when I was trying to put up the decorations few days ago, Kurt just looked at me and said that 'mommy always put that there and this here' and he sounded so sad and... disappointed. And I even forgot to get the Christmas tree", Burt finished miserably.

George placed his hand on Burt's back and patted him gently. "You've been trying so hard, Burt. But you do understand that you can't play the role of both yourself and Elizabeth to Kurt, right?"

"I get that, but I'm just so worried about him. Sometimes he just zones out and stares into nothing. Not to mention his nightmares. We're both exhausted", Burt said and rubbed his eyes tiredly.

George eyed his friend and the bags under his eyes worriedly. Kurt had been doing okay after Lizzie's death, but time to time he just flipped. George had witnessed it

a few times himslef, when Kurt was visiting Blaine, so he knew how hard it must be for Burt to worry and take care of him while trying to keep working in his shop.

"Would you like to spend Christmas with us?" George asked and smiled kindly at Burt.

"What, like have a Christmas dinner with you? Don't you have any family coming over?"

George shook his head. "Nah, my parents are probably somewhere in the Pacific Ocean and Melanie's mother is going to visit her brother in Vegas. So what do you say? You two could actually stay the night so Kurt and Blaine could open their presents together in the morning?"

"No, we don't want to be a bother-", Burt tried to say, but George cut him off mid-sentence.

" No bother at all. The boys get to have a fun sleepover, and we have a nice guestroom to offer for you to sleep in"

"I'm guessing I don't have a choice, then", Burt said with a grin. "Fine, thank you for inviting us. But I'm getting you something extra expensive for this"

* * *

Blaine knocked the door to Kurt's room, not waiting for answer and running down the stairs to Kurt's bedside.

"Are you okay?" he asked worriedly, studying his friend's face intently.

Kurt, buried under blankets and covers, nodded and smiled widely, straightening up to a sitting position.

"I'm fine. Just a little headache now that the fever passed", he said, his voice a bit raspy from coughing.

"Good", Blaine said and lifted his eyebrows questioningly before climbing on the bed next to Kurt and leaning his back against the headboard.

"It was boring in school without you", he said and nudged Kurt with his elbow.

"I didn't have fun, either. Dad did let me watch some movies, but then the headache got worse and I had to come down here to sleep it off"

"So, did anything special happen today? At school?" Kurt continued and turned his eyes on Blaine.

"Not really. Rachel was sulking all morning because miss Pickett didn't let her sing 'Silent night' in front of the class", Blaine swallowed before continuing, "And Kevin Evans was making fun of you, so I hit him"

Kurt blinked in surprise, his mouth opening and closing, making him look a bit like fish.

"You- You _hit Kevin Evans_?" he finally said, his eyes wide with disbelief.

"He, said some things about you and then he called you a.. 'fag', I guess, I'm not sure what that word meant, I'm guessing his brother taught him that. But then they all laughed and he kept calling you that name, so I hit him"

"I don't know what that means either. But it sounds mean", Kurt said quietly.

The boys sat in silence for a moment until Kurt coughed, and Blaine turned his attention back on him. He was surprised to see small tears glistening in Kurt's eyes.

"What's wrong? Is it your head, should I get your dad?" Blaine asked worriedly, and placed his hand on Kurt's forehead, seeing if his fever had come back.

"No, I'm just... really, really glad that you're my best friend, Blaine. Thank you for defending me", Kurt said earnestly and smiled.

"I'm really glad you're my best friend too, Kurt. And I promise, I will always defend you", Blaine said quietly and wrapped his arms tightly around Kurt.

* * *

"Merry Christmas!"

Kurt was nearly knocked over by the green flurry with curly dark hair that squeezed him into a tight hug the second the door to the Anderson house was opened.

"Merry Christmas", he greeted Blaine back with a smile, wrapping the hand that wasn't holding his overnight bag, around Blaine.

Melanie appeared to the doorway behind Blaine, wearing a beautiful dark green dress and a red cardigan, stirring something in a bowl.

"Merry Christmas, Kurt", she greeted the boy when her son finally let go of him.

"Merry Christmas, Mrs. Anderson", Kurt answered politely and smiled, before Blaine grabbed his hand and pulled him inside, talking excitedly about all the things they could do and games they could play tonight.

"Merry Christmas, Melanie", Burt said with a smile and kissed her on the cheek, closing the door behind him. "Thank you again for inviting us. If there's anything I can do to help with the preparations,-"

Melanie waved her hand dismissively and glared Burt playfully. "You're our guest, dummy. Besides, I have pretty much everything done, so you just go to the living

room and talk sports with George, okay?"

Burt put his hands up in surrender and chuckled before taking his coat off and brushing most of the snow off his dress shoes.

"I really like your outfit", Blaine said and smiled at Kurt, whose eyes lit up at the compliment.

He brushed the white shirt and black bowtie he had paired with a light blue cardigan and dark jeans, hiding the proud smile he was supporting.

"Thank you! I like yours too"

Kurt flopped down on Blaine's bed and took miss Cinnamon in his lap, brushing her fur gently with his fingers.

"I wanted to get her a Christmas hat", Blaine said as he sat down next to Kurt, "But mom said that she didn't need one. I think miss Cinnamon would've like to have her own, since all my hats are too big for her".

"Maybe I could make one for her?"Kurt suggested, " I know how to sew and if she wants a Christmas hat, she should definitely have it. It could be my present to her"

"That sounds awesome! Thanks, Kurt!"

The boys spent almost an hour just talking and dressing up miss Cinnamon with any material they could find, building with Blaine's legos in between times, until Melanie called for them to come downstairs to eat. By that time they had built a small city and miss Cinnamon had tried at least ten different looks.

As they were walking towards the kitchen, Kurt eyed the photographs of baby Blaine and young Mr. and Mrs. Anderson he had already seen a million times in vague interest, but he was interrupted when he bumped hard into Blaine's back.

"Why'd you stop?" he asked as he frowned and got back up, rubbing his bum in annoyance.

"Mom, uh, put up a mistletoe", Blaine said sheepishly and pointed at the bough above them.

"Oh"

Neither of the boys moved, or even blinked. They just stared at each other until Blaine broke the silence.

"Is it okay if I kiss you?" Blaine asked and smiled shyly.

"S-sure. I mean, it's the rule, right?" Kurt said and shrugged nonchalantly.

"Yeah. It's the rule", Blaine said quickly and pressed his lips on Kurt's cheek, the latter boy's eyes widening comically.

"Boys! Hurry up, or we'll start without you!" Melanie called, startling the two boys apart.

They eyed each other with wide eyes unbelievingly pink cheeks. Blaine was the first to break out to a smile.

"Let's go", he said and led Kurt down the hall into the kitchen.

The dinner was perfect. Melanie had really gone all out with the food and Kurt couldn't get enough of her apple jam stuffed pastries. All five of them chatted and joked together, and Burt was happy to notice that Kurt didn't stop smiling once during the dinner.

As the clock neared nine, and no one could force another bite of anything down their throats, Blaine and Kurt were ordered back upstairs to change into their pajamas and brush their teeth, while Melanie started cleaning the table and the men went to "chat outside" (which of course meant, that they walked to the Hummels' house to get Kurt's presents).

* * *

Later that night, after watching TV and getting ushered back to Blaine's room, Kurt and Blaine lied on the floor in the small blanket fort they had built and whispered quietly to each other, trying to stay as silent as possible, so no one would come to tell them to go to bed.

"I have a present for you", Blaine said and smiled at Kurt, who was currently using their flashlight to project various shadow figures with his hands on their fort's wall.

"R-Really?" Kurt asked excitedly, but then his face fell, "I didn't get you anything"

"It's okay", Blaine assured and got up to get something from his desk.

Kurt watched with curiosity as Blaine came back with his hands behind his back, grinning widely.

"Which hand?" he asked and Kurt rolled his eyes at his friend.

"The other", he answered teasingly.

Blaine giggled and crawled back into the fort, keeping his right hand away from Kurt. The boys stared at each other for a while, Kurt feigning disinterest and Blainenearly bouncing with excitement.

"Okay here. Merry Christmas, Kurt", he said finally and pushed a small simple pouch in Kurt's lap.

Kurt took the pouch in his hands and eyed it with a raised brow, until Blaine huffed.

"The present is _inside_ it, dummy", he said playfully and nudged Kurt with his foot.

Kurt opened the small pouch and hung it upside down over his hand to get what was inside. On his hand fell a small bracelet, with small colorful wooden pearls, varying between different shades of blue and green, threaded on a string.

"It's kind of a friendship bracelet. I saw the girls making them on the last day of school when you weren't there, so I decided to make you one. Do you like it?" Blaine asked, worrying his lower lip between his teeth, and glancing at Kurt with a worried look on his face.

"It's perfect", Kurt said and slipped the bracelet on his wrist. "Thank you, Blaine"

"No problem"

The boys grinned at each other until it was starting to hurt their cheeks and Blaine went to lie back down, and Kurt followed after him, snuggling against his side.

* * *

"I'll go check on the boys", Melanie said to George, who probably didn't even notice her leaving the couch, because of the intense debate about college football he was having with Burt.

Melanie sighed as he walked up the stairs. It was really boring spending time with the two men after they got engaged in a sport-themed conversation, but now that Elizabeth was gone, she didn't have anyone else to talk to.

Melanie paused when she saw a small light coming under Blaine's door, and prepared herself to scold him and Kurt for staying up so late, but then she opened the door and melted at the sight before her.

The small fort the boys had built had collapsed a bit and the flashlight was still on and lying on the floor. But under the "roof" of the fort, were Kurt and Blaine, both hugging each other tightly in their sleep, smiling happily.

Melanie cooed at them quietly and tip toed to the fort, turning the flashlight off, and lifting the blanket that was above the boys and placing it over them. Kurt let out a small incoherent sound but didn't wake up. He then nuzzled his face against Blaine's messy hair and sighed contently in his sleep.

_Elizabeth would've been so happy to see this, _Melanie thought, and felt small tears prickling in her eyes.

Her friend had always told Melanie, how the other kids were constantly being horrible to Kurt, and how before Blaine, he hadn't had any friends. Elizabeth had tried her best to defend Kurt and be a friend to him in addition of being a mother, but there were some things the two of them just couldn't share together like Kurt and Blaine did.

Melanie eyed the pair in awe for a moment longer, before pressing a soft kiss on her son's forehead and walking out of the room, closing the door quietly behind her.


	5. Chapter 5

Gym class. Kurt had hated it pretty much since his first game of dodgeball. But these days it was even more awful than before. And it wasn't even because of the actual class, it was because of what happened after it. And sweaty, teenaged boys in the showers, was what happened after it.

See, Kurt had always known he was different. He had always gotten a lot of crap for it, but he had never understood what made him stand out from the others, what made him such a clear target for the bullies. And now he knew. He'd known since the first day of middle school, when Matthew Daniels from eight grade flashed him a smile.

Yes, he was gay. So, very, gay.

So after class -as usual-, Kurt sat in the locker room, waiting for the others to finish showering until getting in the stall himself and turning the shower on. He shivered pleasantly when the cool water rushed over him and he took his time gently scrubbing all the sweat from his body, singing quietly under his breath.

"You really should consider joining the glee club next year"

Kurt's heart nearly jumped to his throat when he heard the voice, his hand springing on his chest and a small shriek escaping from his mouth. He huffed and grabbed his towel however, wrapping it around his waist, when he heard the person who had spoken chuckling to himself.

"Dammit, Blaine!" Kurt snapped and walked to the locker room, where Blaine was leaning against his locker, grinning mischievously. "I could've slipped, or banged my head, you moron!" Kurt continued and punched Blaine's arm, pushing him away from his locker to get his clothes.

"I'm sorry", Blaine said and lifted his hands up in surrender, not sounding sorry at all. "But I got here a while ago, so excuse me for getting bored. What took you so long anyway? Were you doing something... pleasant?" Blaine finished and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"Wha- no! Idiot!"

Kurt shook his head and grabbed his clothes, closing his locker and walked on the other side of the locker row, so he wouldn't have to get dressed in front of Blaine.

"I'm sorry, Kurt. I shouldn't have joked about that. It must be so hard for you to control yourself around Rachel and her knee socks", Blaine's mock-sympathetic voice drifted to Kurt's ears, and he couldn't help but to laugh.

"I knew you weren't really mad at me!"

Kurt pulled his shirt over his head and smoothed the wrinkles on it, before tying his light brown tie on his neck and walking back to his locker, where Blaine was digging through his satchel.

"What are you doing?" he asked, startling Blaine and causing him to drop the satchel.

"Nothing, nothing!" Blaine answered quickly and kneeled to take the satchel, and collected the few books that had fallen from it.

Kurt eyed Blaine with a raised brow, but didn't say anything. Instead he opened his locker and pushed his gym clothes inside, putting his jacket and scarf on and then turning to face Blaine, who was holding his satchel out to him.

Kurt took it with a smile and the two left the locker room, walking out into the cool April weather. The two of them had been walking home from school since fifth grade, when their parents had finally chosen that they were old enough to do that. Of course, Blaine's incident with the bullies who sat behind him and Kurt in the bus and poured syrup into his hair, had something to do with their decision.

"So, are you going to ask someone to the dance?" Blaine asked after Kurt had finished complaining about his gym class.

"What dance?"

"They announced it, while you were in gym", Blaine explained, "It's some sort of a miniature prom thing, you know, only for the oldest students, who will be starting in high school next year"

"That sounds boring", Kurt said with a roll of his eyes and kicked a small stone on the street, staring at the children, who were playing in the elementary school's playground.

"A bit, I guess", Blaine chuckled, "So you won't go?"

"I don't know. I'll think about it. I guess I could ask Rachel", Kurt said absently. "Who were you going to ask? The girls are probably fighting over you as we speak", he continued and fixed his eyes on Blaine, who looked a bit taken aback.

"Oh, I... I think I'll just... go alone. Spend the evening with you and... Rachel"

After saying that Blaine got a lot quieter, only answering Kurt's questions or humming in agreement on the right moments. Kurt noticed this, but didn't say anything. That's how they'd been working for years. If one of them was acting strange or feeling down, the other never pressured him to talk. They just waited for the other to come talk on his own.

* * *

But after two hours of sitting in Blaine's bedroom, doing homework and talking, Kurt had gotten really tired of waiting.

"Okay, spill"

Blaine sat up on his bed and leaned on his elbows, looking at Kurt who sat on the floor next to him, eyeing him dubiously.

"What?"

"You've been acting strange, since we were talking about that dance. What's wrong?"

Blaine opened his mouth, but Kurt cut him off with a stern look. "Blaine, I know you. So don't try to say it's nothing, because I can see it's something"

Blaine sighed and scooted on the other side of the bed, gesturing for Kurt to join him. Kurt climbed on the bed and sat next to Blaine, who was biting his lower lip and twirling his pillow nervously in his lap.

"I-", he started and paused to take a deep breath. Kurt waited patiently for him to keep talking and smiled encouragingly at his friend, who returned it somewhat half-heartedly.

"I just really, really wanted to ask this one.. person to the dance, but apparently they are no longer available", Blaine said and smiled sadly, "Which is a shame, because I have liked that person for a really long time"

Kurt's eyebrows scrunched as he tried to understand who Blaine was talking about. He had been okay, until he had asked Kurt who he was taking to the dance...

"Oh god", Kurt finally said and turned his eyes back to his friend, "Blaine..."

"I didn't- You don't have to, I mean-", Blaine stuttered, with wide panicky eyes and went to move away from the bed, but Kurt grabbed his arm and pulled him back with a grin.

"Blaine it's okay, I understand"

"Y-you do?" Blaine asked incredulously, still leaning away from Kurt.

"Yes", Kurt laughed, "If you want to go out with Rachel, it's fine! I don't even want a date to the dance"

"Wha- Rachel?"

"... Yes? Wasn't that who you were talking about?" Kurt asked curiously.

Blaine turned his head away and bit his lip, deep in thought, while Kurt just sat on the bed, waiting for him to say or do anything. The awkwardness was nearly tangible in the room by the time Blaine turned back to Kurt with a smile.

"Yeah. Yeah, I was talking about her. So, uh, you'd really give her up for me?"

"Sure", Kurt said earnestly, "That's what friends are for, right?"

"Right. Thanks", Blaine mumbled, but flashed Kurt a smile nonetheless.

Kurt smiled Blaine his 'no-problem' smile, before getting up and walking to Blaine's DVD-shelf and surveyed the backs of them, Blaine watching him the whole time.

"Can we watch Moulin Rouge?" Kurt asked after a moment, and pouted adorably.

"Again?" Blaine said with a small laugh. "We have seen it like, twenty times!"

"No, Blaine, we have seen it _nine_ times. You really should work on your math", Kurt said and came back from the shelf with the movie in his hand and flopped down next to Blaine, who reached on the nightstand to take his laptop and placed it on the bed in front of them.

"Besides", Kurt started again with a teasing tone after putting the DVD in, "You're the one who has cried like a baby at the end, every single time"

"Shut up! I was not crying! I had something in my eye", Blaine muttered but grinned widely.

"Please, you were crying like an ugly baby, your face was practically covered in snot", Kurt said puckishly and smirked.

"That's it!" Blaine screamed and threw himself at Kurt, pushing his hands on his sides and tickling furiously.

"Say you're sorry!"

"Nhe-ne-never!" Kurt managed to shout between giggles and rolled of the bed to the floor, leaving a baffled Blaine lying on the bed by himself.

Kurt grinned before sprinting out of the room, nearly slipping and falling, and ran downstairs. He could hear Blaine scrambling off the bed and chasing after him, as he slid on the floor with his socks to the living room, getting some more distance between him and his friend.

Kurt contemplated for a moment what the best hiding place would be, ending up sitting behind the couch with a hand on his mouth to keep himself as quiet as possible. He heard someone moving in the kitchen, and since Blaine and him were the only two people in the house, he started backing off slowly, getting back to the stairs, keeping his eyes on the kitchen door.

He suddenly felt hands gripping his waist and lifting him off the ground and onto Blaine's shoulder.

"Blaine! That's not fair! Put me down!"

"It's not my fault that you're so light", Blaine said calmly, and Kurt could almost hear the triumphant grin in his voice. "So, will you say that you're sorry for calling me an ugly baby?"

"No", Kurt answered stubbornly.

"That's too bad then"

Blaine walked to the front door and opened it, though it was a bit difficult with a raging Kurt on his shoulder, and walked out to the veranda.

"Is it- is it raining?" Kurt asked, when heard something rattling on the roof, and tried to turn around to see if he was right.

"Yup, it is", Blaine said and walked down the steps, still staying under the roof's provided shelter.

"Blaine, I swear to god, if you drag me into that rain and this sweater gets ruined, I will kill you"

Blaine merely grinned at Kurt's words and stepped into the downpour.

"You're so dead!" Kurt screeched and struggled harder against Blaine's grip, causing the latter boy to slip and fall, Kurt successfully getting free and grabbing a handful of mud from the ground. He stood over Blaine and eyed him maliciously, the mud still slippery in his palm.

"No,no,no,no, please don't! Kurt, you're better than that!" Blaine begged as he tried to back away from the other boy, his curly hair plastered to his forehead and his eyes wide with fear.

"This sweater cost me 97 dollars, Blaine", Kurt hissed threateningly, sneaking closer to Blaine with a manic look in his eyes. "I must avenge it"

Blaine screamed when Kurt threw the ball of mud straight to his forehead, getting the dirt all over his hair and cheeks. Kurt giggled, as he watched Blaine wipe the mud of his lips with a disgusted look on his face, but his smile faltered and he quickly fled when Blaine fixed his murderous eyes on him.

"Oh, fuck you, Hummel!" Blaine shouted and ran after his friend.

* * *

"-and what if you get sick! What on earth were you two thinking?"

Melanie finished her rant and glared at the two wet, mud-covered boys sitting on the kitchen chairs who were grinning from ear to ear.

"I'm sorry, mom. But Kurt was being a big meanie and I had to do something", Blaine said with a serious tone and a flat face that fell to a grimace when Kurt jabbed his ribs with his elbow.

"With all due respect, Mrs. Anderson", Kurt said with an angelic smile, "Your son really takes some jokes a tad too seriously. Plus, he's single handedly responsible for the death of my new sweater. A _very _expensive sweater, if I might add", he murmured and stomped his heel on Blaine's toes.

George had a hard time holding his laughter, but Melanie kept the stern look on her face.

"Kurt, sweetie, you really should go home and change your clothes. I also heartily recommend a long warm shower"

Kurt nodded at Melanie and went to get his things from Blaine's room, before coming back down and saying goodbye to the Andersons, flashing Blaine a smile and then walking out of the front door.

"And you, Blaine Devon Anderson", Melanie interrupted Blaine's poorly planned escape to his room, "If you get sick, we're letting Mrs. Humphrey come here to take care of you!"

Blaine's eyes widened in horror at the mention of their "crazy cat lady"-neighbor and he nodded quickly in understanding.

"Good. Now go take a shower and change your clothes, dinner is at six"

Blaine walked to the upstairs bathroom, locking the door behind him, and turned to face the mirror. _Wow, _he thought, _If I look this bad, I really wouldn't want to be around when Kurt sees his face. _Blaine chuckled at the image of a panicked Kurt, desperately trying to fix his hair and face, as he started to take off his dirty clothes and stepped under the spray.

And because shower is the best place to think, that's exactly what he did. His plan of subtly asking Kurt to the dance and telling him he was gay, had pretty much failed royally. Now Kurt thought he had a crush on Rachel and if he wouldn't go to the dance with her, it would just seem suspicious. And he had no idea why Kurt had said he would be going with Rachel. Did Kurt himself have a crush on the girl?

Blaine sighed tiredly and scrubbed his face clean from the dirt.

Should he just sit Kurt down and tell him the truth? Would Kurt still be his friend after he told him?

Blaine shook his head at that thought. Of course Kurt would still be his friend. It wasn't like him just to abandon people like that.

But it would be awkward if Blaine told Kurt that he had a crush on him. Or would it? Did Kurt maybe like him too? They'd been friends for ages after all... Blaine couldn't be the only one struggling with these feelings, right?

Blaine groaned and turned the shower off, but stayed glued to the floor for a while, trying to clear his head and decide what to do.

* * *

"So, who're you asking to the dance?" Rachel asked as she sat down next to Kurt in the crowded cafeteria and carefully placed her tray in front of her.

"If you're hinting something, Rachel, I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I'm not going", Kurt muttered as he flipped through his Vogue. "Besides, Blaine was going to ask you"

"H-he was?" Rachel stuttered with a blush and a dreamy smile, but cleared her throat and straightened when she caught Kurt rolling his eyes at her. "I thought he was going with you?"

"Rachel, just because I can't find a date, doesn't mean Blaine drops all his admirers and goes with me"

"No, but I thought you two would want to go together. Like as each other's dates", Rachel explained, and Kurt turned his wide eyes at her, his magazine forgotten on the table.

"W-why?" he asked her, feigning nonchalance. Poorly.

"Oh, sorry! I thought you two were, you know, dating", Rachel said sheepishly and hid her blush with her hands.

"I'm not gay", Kurt said quickly and grabbed the magazine again, opening it and pretending to be interested in the article he had already read a million times.

"Kurt, honey", Rachel said sweetly and placed her hand on his shoulder, "I have two gay dads. They have given me an outstanding gaydar and I can say with certainty, that you have been a clear case since the day I met you"

"Rachel, I'm not gay", Kurt hissed, worriedly eyeing the people around them. "I'm as straight as a.. as a-"

"Curly fry?" Rachel finished for him with a raised brow, earning a groan from Kurt.

Rachel kept staring at Kurt until he dropped his magazine once more and turned to her with a displeased face.

"Okay, fine. I'm gay", he whispered quietly. "But don't go around announcing it to everyone"

"No, of course not"

The two of them sat in silence for a moment, Kurt searching any signs that someone had heard them from the other people's faces and Rachel nibbling her salad absentmindedly.

"So, have you told anyone? Your dad? Blaine?"

Kurt shook his head. "You're the first"

"Oh, I'm flattered", Rachel said with a smile, "I must say that I do always expect people to tell me about their problems and such. I've always been told I'm a great listener and if I weren't destined for Broadway, I would definitely become a therapist"

Kurt tuned out of the conversation as Rachel began once again on of her 'me-talks', as Kurt liked to call them, and took another magazine out of his satchel.

"Oh, hi Blaine!" Rachel suddenly said and Kurt noticed the chair next to him being pulled out.

"Hi Rachel", Blaine greeted her politely and smiled at Kurt.

"What took you so long? We're you doing your after-class-ass-kissing with Mrs. Peterson again?" Kurt asked with a smirk.

"Oh, hahaha, aren't you funny", Blaine teased and took a bite of his lunch sandwich, "Yhou're jus' mad tha' I'm behher at math 'an you"

"Blaine, please. Don't talk with your mouth full", Kurt said with a disgusted look on his face.

Blaine started chewing his food with his mouth open, disturbingly close to Kurt's face, who took his magazine and hit Blaine on the head with it.

"Idiot!"

Blaine laughed as he rubbed the spot Kurt had hit, and Rachel eyed the two of them suspiciously.

"Are you sure you two are not-", she started, but Kurt cut her off with a glare and a kick on her leg under the table.

"Are we sure we're not, what?" Blaine asked, puzzled.

"Nothing, nothing", Kurt assured with a smile. "Oh, Blaine! Didn't you have something to ask from Rachel?"

Blaine's eyebrows knitted together in confusion, but a realization flashed on his face as Kurt gestured at the poster on the wall with his head.

"Oh, I-uh", Blaine stuttered and turned to Rachel, who was smiling expectantly and playing with her hair.

"I.. No, I didn't, actually", he said and smiled apologetically at Rachel.

"Oh, okay", Rachel said monotonically, her smile faltering. "I... I should go now. I-I have a.. group project. Library. We're working on it in the library. Yeah, uh, bye"

The boys stared after Rachel, who dropped her tray and fled the table with long strides, disappearing into the opposite direction from the library.

"What are you doing?" Kurt demanded after turning to face Blaine with a confused look. "I thought you wanted to ask her out to the dance?"

"Yeah, I kinda need to talk to you about that", Blaine said quietly and scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

"Okay, fine, let's talk"

Blaine glanced at the people around them and turned his eyes warily back to Kurt.

"Not here", he said, and Kurt lifted his eyebrows in confusion.

"Let's go to your house after school, okay? I'll explain everything there"

"But, why can't we-", Kurt started, but paused when he saw the pleading look on Blaine's face.

"Okay. We'll talk later"

Blaine smiled gratefully at him and took another bite from his sandwich.

"So, why were you going through my satchel yesterday?" Kurt asked after a moment of silence, desperate to find something to talk about.

"Oh, I was just bored, I guess", Blaine said dismissively and after that steered the conversation into the topic of old musicals, which was guaranteed to distract Kurt from everything else for the moment.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: i'm not really selling this chapter by saying this, but personally, i'm not very pleased with this one. but i have some good stuff coming your way, so don't get too bothered with this one ;)**

* * *

The clock was ticking. That's pretty much everything Kurt noticed happening around him. Blaine sat across from him in the kitchen table, a cup of tea in his hand, making no signs to indicate that he was going to talk. Kurt took a sip from his own cup, waiting patiently. Then he took another. And another. The ticking was starting to drive him mad.

"Blaine, if you don't want to talk about i-"

"I do", Blaine assured hurriedly. "I really do, I just.. I don't know how to say this"

Kurt nodded in understanding and stood up to take his cup to the sink to give himself something to do. He took a glass from the cabinet and filled it with cold water, drinking it quickly and returning to the table.

Blaine stared at the table surface, his face showing that he was deep in thought. Kurt bit his lip. This would probably be a good time for him to talk to Blaine too. And since Blaine was not going to start this little sharing session, he might as well do it.

" Blaine, I have something I need to tell you", he said and glanced Blaine's face warily.

"What is it?"

"...It's something about myself, that... I have known for a while, but I've been too ashamed to admit. To myself, or to anyone", Kurt said, swallowing the lump that was forming in his throat.

"A-and I completely understand, if you don't want to spend time with me, o-or are disgusted b-by me-", Kurt managed to continue before quiet sobs started to escape from his mouth.

"Shh, Kurt", Blaine soothed and walked around the table to sit next to Kurt, wrapping his arms around the tearful boy. "You're my best friend. I always want to spend time with you, and I could _never _be disgusted by you". Blaine hesitated for a moment before adding a whispered, "You're perfect", and pressing a small, barely noticeable, kiss on top of Kurt's head.

After a few more minutes of quiet sniffing, Kurt managed to even his breathing and pull away from Blaine's embrace. He wiped his nose in his sleeve before lifting his scared eyes to meet Blaine's warm hazel ones, and speaking with much more confidence that you'd expect from his face.

"I'm gay"

For Kurt, time stopped for a moment. He could see even the smallest change in Blaine's expression. The way his eyebrows shot up, and his eyes widened, his mouth forming a surprised 'o', before it opened wider, as if he was going to say something. And then..

Blaine started to laugh. Kurt stared at his friend as if he'd gone crazy, a confused look on his face that slowly turned into an annoyed frown.

"What's so funny?" he asked stiffly.

Blaine didn't answer right away, because he was having a hard time getting rid of his relieved laughter. But when he saw the hurt and anger on Kurt's face, he stopped and quickly took his friend's hand.

"I'm not laughing at you", Blaine said, his eyes wide and honest, "It's just... god, this makes this so much easier"

"Makes what easier?" Kurt asked in confusion.

"I'm gay too. That's what I needed to tell you. That's why I don't want to take Rachel-or any other girl- to the dance"

Kurt eyed Blaine's grinning face in disbelief and pulled his hand slowly away from Blaine's grasp, ignoring the effect it had to the other boy's expression.

"Really? You're not just saying that to make me feel better?"

"No", Blaine answered, chuckling. "Why would I do that?"

"I.. I don't know, I just- I never thought... You're so popular with the girls and... Didn't you kiss Linda last year?" Kurt asked, still a little taken aback.

"Well, if kissing a girl once means that a person can't be gay, then we're both straight", Blaine said, a smirk playing on his lips.

"What are you talking about? I haven't kissed anyone"

"Oh, really? That's not what Rachel told me", Blaine teased and grinned when Kurt's face blanched. "She said that you two had a lovely little make out session behind th-"

"She told you?!", Kurt groaned and hid his face in his hands in embarrassment.

Blaine giggled and grabbed Kurt's hands, pulling them away from his face and smiling widely at the other boy.

"I'm gonna kill her", Kurt mumbled, his cheeks tinted pink.

"You don't have to do that. She said, that it happened only because she was complaining about never having kissed a boy, and that you did it to be a good friend"

"God, that was awful", Kurt muttered to himself, before turning his eyes back to Blaine and clearing his throat hesitantly.

"So, -returning to our previous topic- you're gay?"

"Yeah"

Kurt nodded. "Okay then"

After that silence filled the room, but the boys' heads were filled with their own internal gabble. A minute or so passed before they smiled uncomfortably at each other and then burst into laughter.

"Why is this so awkward?" Blaine asked after their giggles had died down and grinned.

Kurt shrugged and returned the smile. " I guess it takes a while to get over the initial shock"

"Let's just... get back to doing what we'd be doing, if that had never happened", Blaine suggested, "Because really, we're both still the same person we were ten minutes ago"

"Yeah, that sounds good", Kurt agreed with a grin. "So, which Disney movie?"

* * *

After a while of watching Beauty and the Beast, the boys were acting like nothing had happened. They were throwing popcorn at each other and laughing together, just like any other day. And despite their talk, Kurt was still very much unaware of the small, shy glances Blaine kept stealing to look at him, while he himself watched dreamily as Belle and Beast moved on the screen, singing _Something there_.

"Isn't this just the cutest thing ever?" Kurt said quietly, almost like he was talking to himself.

"Yeah", Blaine agreed, not turning his eyes away from Kurt.

When the song ended Kurt blinked himself out of his trance and leaned back against the couch, turning to Blaine.

"So, are you going to explain yourself to Rachel? Tell her, why you didn't ask her to the dance?"

Blaine sighed and ran his hand through his curly hair. "I think I should... It's not like she'd tell anyone, right?"

"Oh god no, Rachel would never do that", Kurt assured.

"I guess I could tell her tomorrow? We're still going to the mall, right?"

"Please, Blaine", Kurt snorted, "It's the mall. And that means shopping. Of course we're going"

"So, we could ask Rachel to join us? The three of us haven't really hung out outside of school in a long time", Blaine suggested.

Kurt nodded enthusiastically and smiled. "Great! Not to offend you, but Rachel is a lot better shopping-buddy than you"

"Ouch, Kurt. My heart is crying tears of blood", Blaine teased, and clutched his chest in feigned agony.

Kurt giggled and turned back to the movie, leaning a bit closer to his friend.

Blaine awoke when someone slammed the door shut. It took him a moment to realize he was still in the Hummels' living room, lying on the couch, the movie having ended and the menu flashing on the screen. He tried to sit up and lean closer to the coffee table to take the remote and turn it off, but only then he noticed the weight on his shoulder and warm breathing against his neck.

Blaine turned his head slightly to find Kurt pressed against his side fast asleep, his hand clinging tightly to the fabric of Blaine's shirt. Blaine stared at his friend in surprise, but then his mouth curled into a warm smile and he allowed himself to press his nose against Kurt's hair and inhale the sweet scent of Kurt's hair products and something else that was just _Kurt_.

"Am I interrupting something?"

Blaine quickly pulled as far from Kurt as he could get without waking up the other boy, and lifted his head to meet Burt's eyes.

Burt eyed the panicked looking boy on the couch, and lifted his eyebrows in question.

"We were just watching a movie", Blaine explained hurriedly. "He-he fell asleep and I didn't want to wake him up"

Burt watched as his son shifted in his sleep, pressed himself even closer to Blaine and nuzzled his neck. Burt then turned his amused eyes back to the curly haired boy, who had paled slightly and whose eyes were darting around the room like he was looking for an escape route.

"I swear, nothing happened, Mr. Hummel"

Burt chuckled at the obvious fear in Blaine's eyes and left the room, shaking his head to himself. Blaine stared after him, his heart still beating furiously against his ribcage.

"Wha' time is it?" Kurt mumbled sleepily and let go of Blaine's shirt to rub his eyes.

"It's... nearly eight", Blaine answered after glancing at the clock on the wall. "I should get going"

"You should st-stay", Kurt yawned and pressed his head back against Blaine's chest. "You're the best pillow I've ever had"

"As flattering as that is", Blaine chuckled and pushed Kurt off of him, ignoring the other boys protests, "I really need to go now"

"Screw you", Kurt said and stretched his hands above his head before getting off the couch. "Is dad home yet?"

"Yes, he's probably in the kitchen"

"Good. I hope he remembered to bring the tomatoes", Kurt muttered to himself before smiling at Blaine again. "So we'll see tomorrow, right?"

"Yeah, of course", Blaine said and pushed himself of the couch, before walking out of the living room and taking his jacket off the coat rack, Kurt following after him and leaning against the doorframe.

Blaine gave Kurt a small wave and turned to open the door to leave, but then he felt a sudden pair of hands wrapping tightly around his middle.

"I'm really glad I told you, Blaine", Kurt whispered against the back of his head. "You really are a great friend"

"I'm glad I told you too", Blaine answered, hoping that his heart wasn't beating loud enough for Kurt to hear it.

"I'll see you tomorrow", Kurt said, speaking louder now.

But before he let go of Blaine, he pressed a small kiss on his cheek.

Blaine wasn't aware that he'd left the Hummel house, until he found himself lying on his bed, gazing at the ceiling, his hand pressed over his cheek and a dreamy smile on his lips.

* * *

"Isn't this just so much fun!" Rachel proclaimed enthusiastically, causing a few elderly women to turn their heads and eye her in annoyance.

"The three of us, together... Just like the good old times!" Rachel continued and grabbed Kurt's and Blaine's arms in hers.

"You sound like we haven't seen each other in decades", Kurt said tiredly, making a feeble attempt at freeing himself from the girl's grasp.

"I'm just so excited! What should we do first?"

"Maybe we could get some coffee", Blaine suggested and yawned.

It had taken him long time to recover from Kurt's little display of affection last night and he had been lying awake until three.

But in the morning when he went to get Kurt, some of his good spirit had been wiped out. He'd expected Kurt to do something, or say something about last night, but the other boy acted like nothing had happened.

"Yeah, coffee sounds good", Kurt agreed and the trio took off towards the small coffee shop next to Gap.

"You should tell her now", Kurt whispered to Blaine when they were standing in the line behind Rachel, who was ordering her soy latte.

"Are you going to tell her? That you're gay? It would be nice, if I didn't have to come out alone", Blaine whispered back.

"She already knows about me"

"She does?" Blaine asked in surprise. "I thought you hadn't told anyone"

"She kinda knew already, and what would've been the point in lying", Kurt said and shrugged.

After they all had gotten their drinks, they sat down in a small booth near the back wall, Kurt and Blaine on the opposite side of the table from Rachel, who kept going on and on about the impromptu performances she had thrown last night for her dads and their neighbors.

"Rachel, I need to tell you something", Blaine interrupted her after a while.

The girl looked a bit annoyed that he'd spoken just when she was getting 'to the good part', but smiled politely at him nonetheless.

"Of course, Blaine. What is it?"

Blaine quickly glanced at Kurt who smiled encouragingly and then turned back to Rachel.

"Kurt told you yesterday that I was going to ask you to the dance, right?"

Rachel nodded, now an intrigued spark lighting in her eyes.

"Well, I was never going to ask you. I don't mean that personally or anything, Kurt just sort of misunderstood me. You're a great girl and all, but the reason I didn't ask you out is that... I'm gay"

Rachel eyed the two boys with wide eyes. Kurt and Blaine both threw each other a worried look, hoping that Rachel wouldn't shout in a very Rachelish way and accidentally tell every Saturday shopper, that Blaine was gay.

"Shut up! You too?" Rachel asked, sounding actually pretty excited.

"Yes?"

Rachel set her latte on the table and leaned back against the back of her seat, watching the two boys, completely speechless.

"But you two are still not together?" she eventually asked.

Blaine nearly choked on his coffee.

"No, no we're not, Rachel", Kurt answered sharply, and Blaine nodded in agreement beside him.

"Blaine is like a brother to me, it would be weird to date him", Kurt continued and chuckled before taking a sip from his cup.

Blaine felt something twist painfully in his stomach and he turned away from the others to look outside of the window. _Like a brother._ Of course, how could he be stupid enough to think that someone as great as Kurt would want to date him.

Blaine stayed quiet the rest of their stay in the coffee shop and spent the most of the day walking behind Rachel and Kurt, who were excitedly trying on new clothes and gushing over shoes and god knows what else. By the time they reached the seventh shop of the day, Blaine felt like he was ready to jump from a cliff.

Kurt found a jacket he absolutely adored and left Rachel and Blaine sitting on a bench outside of the shop, while he went to try it on. The two sat in silence before Rachel slid a little closer to Blaine on the bench and leaned forward so she could see his eyes.

"Blaine, do you like Kurt?"

"What? No. We already told yo-"

"No, you said that you aren't together", Rachel corrected him. "I'm not blind, you know. I see the way you look at him when you think no one's looking. I've seen it for months, actually"

"It doesn't matter if I like him or not", Blaine said bitterly. "You heard him. He sees me as a _brothe_r"

"You can change that", Rachel said thoughtfully.

"How?"

"Well, firstly, you should ask him to the dance with you", Rachel said matter-of-factly, making Blaine shake his head firmly.

"No. No way. I can't do that"

"Why?"

"Well, first of all, I'm not sure if either of us is ready to come out to everyone, which is what we'd do if we'd go to the dance as each other's dates, and second, he might say no. And then he'd know that I like him, and that would just make everything awkward", Blaine finished and gave Rachel a sad smile.

"Okay, but hey here's a thought: maybe he'll say yes"

Blaine shook his head and chuckled at Rachel's enthusiasm, just when Kurt came back from the shop with a displeased look on his face.

"They wouldn't let me negotiate on the price", he said and huffed in annoyance. "I mean seriously, if they try to sell low quality clothes, they should do it with a lower price"

"I thought you said that shirt was perfect?" Rachel asked with a smirk, earning a glare from Kurt.

"Let's just go home. We've already been here for hours"

* * *

"So I was thinking", Kurt began as he and Blaine turned into their street after walking Rachel back to her house, "Do you want to go to the dance?"

Blaine shrugged, ignoring the little hopeful jump his heart made at Kurt's words. "I don't know. Why, are you asking me?"

"Yes, actually", Kurt grinned and stepped in front of Blaine walking backwards on the sidewalk, swinging his two shopping bags playfully. "I figured that since probably neither of us is going with someone we actually want to ask, we could go together"

"Sure, if you're okay with that", Blaine said indifferently.

"Okay, what's wrong with you?" Kurt asked and stopped, preventing Blaine from moving forward. "If you don't want to go with me, you can just say so"

"I do want to go with you. I just... I hope that you understand what that would mean"

"Well, what exactly would that mean then?" Kurt said, placing his hands on his hips.

"Then everyone would find out", Blaine said and quickly glanced around, though no one from their school lived in the same neighborhood. "Then everyone would know that we're gay"

"Blaine, people go to dances as friends all the time. No one has a reason to suspect anything"

Blaine bit his lip hesitantly, but nodded. "You're right. I'm sorry, I guess I'm just a bit tired today"

"It's okay", Kurt smiled and continued his walk, stepping back to Blaine's side. "So we're going to the dance together?"

"Yeah", Blaine finally said when they reached his house."We're going"


	7. Chapter 7

Burt wiped his hands on his overalls and closed the hood of George's BMW with a loud clank that echoed around the nearly empty shop.

"It was the mass air flow sensor", he explained to the man next to him. "It should be alright now"

He glanced at his watch and grimaced. Kurt was definitely home by now and had probably even made the dinner ready. He'd really have to get going soon.

George nodded and straightened his glasses for the tenth time since he'd walked into the shop and pulled his wallet out.

"Thank you, Burt. I don't know what I would've done tomorrow, if you wouldn't have fixed it"

"Just doing my job", Burt chuckled and walked over to his small cash register, George following after him, sidestepping from the way of the other workers who were carrying heavy tools or car parts.

" Oh yeah, you have that job interview tomorrow, right? In Westerville, was it?" Burt asked as he went through his notebook and looked over the prices, typing them on the register as he went.

"Yes. I was asked personally", George said, trying to hide the pride in his voice. "It's a great honor, considering that-"

"It's one of the most successful law firms in there?" Burt interrupted and smirked. "Yes, you've mentioned that. A couple of times actually"

"Sorry. I'm just a little nervous", George said and smiled sheepishly.

Burt's register made a loud ping and Burt took out the receipt, looking over it quickly.

"That's 300 bucks, then"

"By the way, has Kurt told you about that dance the school is having yet?" George asked as he pulled out his debit card and handed it to Burt, leaning against the table.

"Yeah, I think he mentioned it a couple of days ago", Burt answered with a shrug. "Why?"

"I was just a bit surprised that Blaine and Kurt are going together", George said nonchalantly. "I mean, Blaine is always surrounded by girls after his soccer games and doesn't Kurt spend an awful lot of time with that Berry girl?"

"Rachel? Yeah, I guess he does", Burt answered absently and handed George his card back.

His mind flashed back to Friday night and the two boys lying on his couch, wrapped in each other's arms, and to Blaine's reaction to Burt having walked in on them. And now the said two boys were going to a dance together? There was definitely something going on in here, and Burt would most definitely find out what.

"I just think, it's a bit funny", George laughed, though it sounded a bit forced. "You'd think that neither of our boys would have trouble finding a proper date"

Burt frowned at George's words, but nodded anyway. He'd have to talk to Kurt later.

* * *

"So... you and Blaine", Burt started.

Him and Kurt were sitting in the living room watching -well, Burt was watching- TV, after their dinner, which had gotten already a little cold by the time Burt had come home. Kurt was snuggled under a blanket, reading _Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows_ he had once again borrowed from Blaine.

"What about me and Blaine, dad?" Kurt asked, not lifting his eyes from the book.

Burt sighed and turned the TV off, despite the fact that everyone at the shop would be talking about the game tomorrow, and turned to his son.

"You two seemed pretty cozy the other night"

Kurt hummed questioningly and turned the page. "What do mean?"

"What I mean, is that maybe you and I should have a little talk"

"Talk?" Kurt lowered the book and glanced at his father in amusement, before lifting it back up again and continuing his reading. "You've never given me 'a talk'"

"Well, now I am", Burt said and took the book from Kurt, despite the loud whining it caused.

"Dad, really?" Kurt groaned and flopped back on the couch to lie on his back. "What do we need to talk about? I'm a responsible child, if you haven't noticed. I can give you a list of all the other kids my age, who're probably partying and drinking as we speak"

"No, this is not a that kind of talk", Burt assured and rubbed his hands together nervously before beginning.

"You see, you're growing up, Kurt. And I understand that you want to act like a teenager, because that's what you are and you need to.. find yourself, while you're trying all these new things. But some of these new things, like dating, for instance... I feel like we should discuss that kind of things first"

A silence settled over the room as Kurt stared his father in confusion.

"..I'm not dating anyone, dad", Kurt said, frowning. "Rachel and I are just friends"

"I'm not talking about you and Rachel, and I'm not saying that you're dating anyone", Burt hurried to say. "I'm just saying, hypothetically, that if you have some person, who you.. like, who might be a really good friend of yours, who you just happen to cuddle with on our couch-"

"W-what?", Kurt laughed and got up to a sitting position. "What exactly are you talking about?"

"George told me that you and Blaine are going to the school dance together"

Kurt's eyes widened and he snorted disbelievingly.

"What? That's what this is about?" Kurt asked. "We're only going as friends, dad!"

"Well, you two were cuddling on the couch when I got home on Friday, and I thought-"

"It's me and Blaine, dad! We cuddle all the time. It's completely platonic!"

"Well that's not what it looked like", Burt muttered. "Besides, it's not norma- common, for two boys in your age to cuddle"

Though Burt corrected his speech quickly, the small slip didn't go unnoticed by Kurt, who felt a pang in his chest at his father's words.

"..Okay, so this isn't about dating or being young or whatever crap. You're worried that I'm not normal. You're worried that I'm gay", Kurt said accusingly as he got up and grabbed his book to march out of the living room.

"I'm not worried, Kurt! I'm- Look, I'm trying to say that I'm all for you figuring out who you are. That's what being young is. And, I don't want to make any assumptions, but just so you know, when you find it out and are ready to tell me who you are, I'm still going to love you no matter what", Burt shouted after his son, his voice getting lower the longer he spoke.

Kurt stood frozen for a moment at the top of the stairs to his room, small tears prickling in his eyes. He then turned around and walked back to his father to hug him tightly, swallowing the lump in his throat before speaking.

"Thanks, dad. I'm sorry. I guess I overreacted"

Burt tightened his hold on Kurt and smiled against his shoulder.

"No problem, kiddo"

* * *

Kurt never overslept. Literally, never. As soon as Kurt woke up on Monday morning, he scrambled out of his bed, not bothering to style his hair, leaving it in its messy bed-state. He threw on his 'safety clothes' - as he had named the grey sweater and black jeans, that were always ready in his top drawer for situations like this-, cursing loudly, and quickly wrapped a warm white scarf around his neck, before grabbing his satchel and running out of the house.

He ran most of the distance to school, but by the time he finally reached the building, the bell had already rang and everyone was inside. Well, except for the three girls, who were always smoking behind the dumpsters with their high school 'friends'.

Kurt tried to catch his breath while he walked inside and to the second floor for his English class. He hastily brushed away the fallen strands of his hair from his forehead, as his other hand knocked on the door. _I probably should get a haircut, _he thought absently, and straightened himself up.

He heard the voice of his teacher, Mr. Padelford, quiet down and his heavy steps as the man walked to the door and opened it, eyeing Kurt's disheveled appearance with a frown.

"I'm sorry I'm late, Mr. Padelford. I overslept", Kurt explained quickly.

Mr. Padelford sighed that universal 'what the hell am I doing with my life'-sigh every teacher has and stepped aside to let Kurt in.

Kurt walked to his seat at the back of the class, keeping his head down the whole way. But when he sat down and pulled his books from his satchel, straightening to a proper sitting position, he noticed how every single person in the class was staring at him.

Mr. Padelford kept writing on the blackboard with his curly handwriting and talking about the differences between modern and classic horror stories, unaware that his students were focusing on something else entirely.

Kurt was starting to get really uncomfortable under the other's gazes, so he pulled out his notebook and started doodling on it, acting like he couldn't even see them.

"Fag"

Kurt's pen froze over the notebook and he turned his eyes to the boy who sat next to him. David Karofsky fist-bumped his friend Azimio Adams who had spoken, and turned to sneer at Kurt.

"It's not natural", he said quietly to make sure that the teacher wouldn't notice.

"You're damn right. Maybe we should see if we can give him some brain therapy to heal him?" Azimio laughed and cracked his knuckles.

The two of them kept talking like Kurt wasn't even in the room. Occasionally even his other classmates who were sitting close enough to hear the two boys, hummed appreciatively at their taunts or joined their conversation of how sick being gay was. Only a few students sat quietly in their places, ignoring everything but Mr. Padelford.

Kurt sat quietly in his seat, staring at his book without actually seeing anything. Everyone knew. His life was over. At least that's what it felt like.

When the bell rang, he was the first one out of the room. He jogged to his locker to get his math books, so he could escape to the math class instead of lingering in the hallway, but when he opened it, a mass of little pieces of paper fell on the floor to his feet.

People were starting to fill the hallway, and Kurt watched as some girl with glasses and braided red hair leaned down to grab one of the paper slips. She folded it open and snorted at the writing inside of it, smiling evilly at Kurt, before handing the paper to her friend.

Kurt quickly grabbed a handful of slips from the floor and folded each of them open, reading what they said.

_Fairy. Fag. Freak. Disgusting. Faggot. Go die._

The words were written in various handwritings, ranging from barely readable scribble to neatly written words. Kurt lifted his glistening eyes and saw how everyone in the hallway was either staring at him with disgust written all over their faces, or calling him names and laughing at him.

Kurt slammed the locker door shut before pushing through the crowd and running outside, his satchel banging painfully against his thigh as he bit his lip to keep the tears from falling.

* * *

The word of the events didn't reach Blaine until the end of his third period, when he was walking to the cafeteria and Rachel appeared out of nowhere, grabbing his hand and pulling him away from the two blonde, gum-chewing girls, who were trying to get him to the dance with them. The girls huffed in annoyance after Blaine disappeared and stomped away with their noses in the air. Blaine sighed in relief and turned to the short brunette with a smile.

"Thanks, Rachel. I really di-"

"Have you heard?" Rachel interrupted the boy with a serious look in her eyes.

Blaine scrunched his eyebrows in confusion and eyed the girl warily.

"Heard about what?"

"Kurt. Some jerks pulled a really mean trick on him, and no one has seen him since first period. I tried to call him, but he won't pick up", Rachel explained, clearly desperate for some answers.

"I- no, I haven't. What did they do?" Blaine asked worriedly, anger boiling under his skin towards anyone who had dared to hurt Kurt in any way.

"I guess someone heard me and Kurt talking in the cafeteria last Friday. They called him names and something else, but Blaine, can you please help me find him?"

"Of course. Where have you tried?" Blaine asked as the two of them took off to the opposite direction from everyone, towards the library and main entrance.

"I checked the library, the boys' locker room, the old shed, and behind the gym", Rachel recited.

Blaine nodded and pushed open the door, walking outdoors with the short girl.

"I say we look around the school area once, and if we don't find him, we'll go to check if he's gone home"

"Sounds good. I'll meet you here"

They both set off to different directions, Rachel towards the staff parking lot while Blaine decided to walk around the school building.

Blaine walked around the school area twice, and checked every place he could think of.

He even checked behind the dumpsters and asked from the lunch lady, who was smoking outside the backdoor of the cafeteria, if she'd seen anyone, but he didn't find him.

Twenty minutes later he walked back to the main entrance, where Rachel was already sitting on the stairs, leaning her head to her hands, looking defeated.

"No?"

" I didn't see him", Blaine answered and sat down next to her.

"So, are we going to his house?"

"I can go alone. It's better if just one of us is ditching class", Blaine said and Rachel nodded in agreement. "I'll call you if I see him"

With that Blaine got up and walked out of the school grounds. He started running after his thoughts became more garbled, reaching his and Kurt's neighborhood quickly.

Blaine didn't notice the car that was driving right towards him as he was crossing the road. The car honked its horn loudly and Blaine startled, falling to the ground.

"Watch where you're going, jackass!"

The car drove off, leaving Blaine sitting baffled on the ground. When he started getting up, he noticed a small paper slip on the ground. He opened it and frowned when he saw the contents.

He brushed his jeans clean and kept walking towards Kurt's house. He had just passed his own home, when he saw movement in the playground that was situated behind Mrs. Humphrey's house.

Blaine glanced quickly down the road to the Hummels' empty-looking house, and crossed the road, this time making sure to check for cars.

He walked on the sidewalk and around Mrs. Humphrey's house to see the playground, and when he did, he let out a sigh of relief.

Kurt was sitting in a swing next to a little girl, who was talking excitedly to him. Blaine ran to the pair of them and hugged Kurt tightly, though it looked a bit awkward with Kurt sitting down.

"Oh god, Kurt! Rachel and I were so worried!" he exclaimed when he pulled back from the hug. "What happened?"

Kurt glanced at the girl, who was eyeing Blaine warily, squeezing her swing's chains tightly.

"Erica, do you mind if I go now?" Kurt asked sweetly from the girl.

Erica shook his head, but bit her lip before answering. "You can play with me again, right?"

"Of course. We'll play anytime you want", Kurt promised, "You just come get me, okay?"

Erica nodded and waved at the two boys when they left the playground, Blaine still gazing worriedly over Kurt.

"What happened?" he asked again when they crossed the sidewalk to Blaine's house, but kept walking down the street.

"Someone found out about me", Kurt said shortly. "It's funny how fast things travel. Apparently everyone knows now"

"Rachel said they did something to you... They didn't hit you, or anything?"

"No, they filled my locker with these", Kurt said and uncurled his fist.

Five wrinkled paper slips like the one Blaine had found on the ground, were lying on Kurt's palm. Blaine picked one up and straightened it before reading. _Fag._

Blaine lifted his eyes from the slip and eyed Kurt sadly.

"I'm so sor-"

"Do you know what's funny?" Kurt asked, a small bitter smile on his lips. "When I went to the playground, the second Erica noticed me, she asked me why I was crying. Not one of the teachers that I passed paused to ask that. And when I told her that 'others were mean to me because I like boys', she called them stupid and said that I can like whoever I want", Kurt said and snorted. "A freaking six-year old is smarter than our whole school"

Blaine stayed quiet, but wrapped his arm around Kurt's shoulder comfortingly as they walked to the Hummel house.

"Do you think we should skip the whole dance thing?" Kurt asked, while digging through his satchel for the key.

"Why? No one will do anything there, Kurt. There'll be teachers around"

"Yeah, I know _that_, but", Kurt mumbled as he opened the door, "doesn't it bother you? That if you go there with me now that everyone knows I'm gay, everyone'll get suspicious about you too?"

"No, I still want to go with you. As long as you're okay with it, of course. But I promise that I will stay by your side the whole night and if anyone dares to say something mean, I'll kick their ass for you"

Kurt chuckled and kicked his shoes off before walking to the living room and turning the TV on.

"That sounds good", Kurt said, sitting down and tapping the empty space next to him.

Blaine dropped his backpack and jumped on the couch, leaning against Kurt's shoulder and smiling widely.

"So what's the plan? Are we going to watch crappy re-runs of soap operas the remainder of the day? Oh no wait, can we bake cookies, pleeease?", Blaine whined with his wide puppy-eyes.

Kurt leaned back on the couch and lifted his feet on the coffee table, yawning loudly.

"Since you're my favorite pillow, can I pleeease have a little nap first? Then I'll make the best cookies you've ever tasted"

"Deal", Blaine promised, and threw himself on his back, opening his arms as an invitation for Kurt to climb on top of him.

Kurt laughed at Blaine's eagerness, but leaned his head against his chest and allowed the other boy to wrap his arms around him.

Kurt closed his eyes and listened to the steady beat of Blaine's heart as it lulled him to sleep. Right before Kurt lost all his awareness, he swore he could feel a soft pair of lips pressing against his temple.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: i'll probably have to warn you for this chapter... well, language and violence. sorry, please don't hate me. And also, probably a lot of spelling errors and stuff, I promise to fix it later if I find them :)**

* * *

Melanie was starting to get worried. Blaine had been in the bathroom for nearly thirty minutes. Of course, dances were important, but this was just scary.

"Blaine, honey? Is something wrong?" she asked and knocked the door gently with her knuckles.

"I-I'm fine, mom!" came Blaine's reply. "What time is it?"

"Well, you have fifteen minutes till you have to go to Kurt's", Melanie answered and glanced at her watch, which was nearly seven.

"Fifteen!?"

Blaine stormed out of the bathroom, banging cabin doors shut and nearly knocking his mother over as he ran into his room. Melanie stared after him, dumbfounded.

"Blaine? You still have enough time, there's no need to rush"

Melanie walked slowly to Blaine's room and peeked her head inside. The bed was covered in clothing: shirts, ties, bowties and all the different suit jackets Blaine owned. She stepped inside warily and looked around for her son.

"Mom, I can't go. My hair is awful!" a desperate voice shouted from the other side of Blaine's bed.

"Honey, I'm sure it's not that bad", Melanie assured gently. "C'mon, show me"

Blaine rose reluctantly from the ground, brushing his hair with his fingers self-consciously, though it was a bit difficult considering the amount of gel in it. The normally soft and curly dark hair was now resembling some sort of a gel helmet, with many sticky strands of hair escaping from it. Melanie stared at her son in surprise and cleared her throat.

"Well... I stand corrected", she managed to get out without bursting into laughter, but continued quickly after noticing Blaine's anguished face. "I'm sure we can do something about it. I'll help you, okay?"

"Okay", Blaine nodded.

Melanie wrapped her arm around her son and smiled reassuringly. The two of them walked back into the bathroom and Melanie let go of Blaine, guiding him to sit on the edge of their bathtub.

"Now lean your head back. I'll rinse the gel off", Melanie instructed and took the shower hose in her hand.

Blaine did as he was told and soon Melanie's hands were in his hair, gently massaging his scalp and ridding it from the gel.

Blaine closed his eyes and relaxed, Melanie smiling softly at his peaceful face.

"So, are you trying to impress someone?" Melanie asked teasingly and took some more shampoo in her hands before returning them to their job. "Should I be afraid of some girl stealing my little baby boy from me?"

Blaine snorted at his mother's words, but bit the inside of his cheek nervously. He got back up when Melanie turned the shower off went to grab Blaine's towel from the rack on the wall, and eyed the back of her head warily.

"Mom? Can I tell you something?" he started when Melanie handed the towel to him.

Melanie nodded in expectation and motioned for Blaine to keep talking. Blaine quickly dried his hair and set the towel down next to the sink, turning back to his mother and gulping loudly.

"I-I think I love Kurt", he said and watched Melanie's face in suspense.

It felt weird to finally say it. He had restrained even from thinking about Kurt and love in the same sentence. It had always been 'a crush'. But after Blaine had spoken the words to his mother, he knew it was true. He was most definitely in love with Kurt.

Melanie swallowed and smiled casually. "Well, of course you love him. He has been like family to you for all these years after all. Everyone loves their family"

She then took the blow dryer from the cabin and grabbed Blaine's shoulder to sit him back down.

"No, mom. I think I'm i_n love _with him", Blaine said seriously and took a hold of his mother's wrist when she was trying to plug in the blow dryer.

Melanie looked into his son's eyes, but saw no doubt in them. She sighed and sat on the toilet, brushing her hair out of her forehead.

"You're pretty young to be talking about love, don't you think?" she finally said.

Blaine shrugged as he toyed with the cuff of his white shirt. "I guess. But I really think it's true"

He then lifted his head and looked at her mother warily through his still damp curls. "Does it bother you? That I like another boy instead of girls?"

Melanie's brow furrowed, but then she shook her head.

"No. It doesn't bother me", she said and smiled gently at Blaine, "I would be lying if I said that I'm thrilled, but if this is who you are, it's okay by me"

"Thanks mom", Blaine said sincerely and leaned over to give his mother a hug.

Melanie smiled and shut her eyes tightly, before pulling out of the hug and clapping her hands together cheerfully.

"Okay! Now, let's get back to work. We have to make sure that Kurt will only be interested in you tonight, don't we?"

Blaine grinned widely and nodded as Melanie took the blow dryer back in her hand and grabbed the opened gel bottle from the table top.

* * *

"Come on in, Blaine", Burt greeted the boy on his doorstep and stepped aside to let him inside." Kurt's still downstairs, but you can wait in the living room"

Blaine nodded and smiled charmingly. "Thanks, Burt"

The two of them walked together in the living room, where Burt sat down on the couch and Blaine next to him on the armrest.

The silence quickly became more tense to Blaine, when he came to realize something. He was in love with this man's son. Son, who he was going to be taking to a dance in a matter of minutes. And this man happened to own a shotgun.

Blaine swallowed audibly and Burt turned to him with a worried face.

"Are you okay? You look a bit pale", he said, but Blaine just smiled and nodded.

"I'm fine, thank you"

Burt eyed Blaine, clearly not believing him, but turned his eyes back to the TV screen anyway.

"Dad? Who're you talking to?"

Blaine felt his heart to a little jump in his chest at the sound of Kurt's voice coming from the basement and he opened his mouth to answer for Burt.

"It's me" he shouted and moved to stand up.

"Blaine? Come down here, I'm almost done!"

Blaine smiled and walked out of the room, turning his head to check Burt's face, which looked indifferent. _Maybe he wasn't suspecting anything after all_, Blaine thought and walked down to Kurt.

"Well, well... Don't you look dapper", Kurt praised him the moment he saw Blaine in the reflection of his mirror.

Blaine hoped Kurt didn't notice the small blush that rose on his cheeks at the compliment and smiled widely at his friend.

"Thanks. I had some trouble with the hair", he admitted, but lost his track of thought the second Kurt turned around.

Though he was wearing a black suit just like Blaine himself, Kurt managed to look one hundred times better in it. The light blue tie he was wearing complimented his eyes perfectly, and he had even added a small, silvery butterfly brooch on his lapel. Not to mention how he had somehow styled his hair to look neatly messy, though Blaine had no idea you could do that.

"It looks great", Kurt said -oblivious of Blaine's gaping- and stepped closer to the other boy to touch his hair softly, careful not to mess it.

"Y-You look-" _amazing, gorgeous, breathtaking, _"great too", Blaine managed to say. "I love the brooch, by the way"

Kurt glanced down at his accessory before smiling brightly at Blaine. "Thanks, I found it at a yard sale"

"I love it", Blaine said again, trying not to gaze too deep in Kurt's eyes.

"Well, we're almost ready to go. I'll just have to use the bathroom real quick", Kurt said and walked past Blaine and upstairs, the other boy following after him.

"Dad! Get ready, we're leaving now!" Kurt shouted to the living room, before disappearing down the hall.

Blaine walked back into the living room, where Burt had made no move to get up from the couch despite his son's shout.

"So", Burt suddenly said, "A dance, huh?"

"Yeah, so I've been told", Blaine tried to joke to calm his racing heart.

The older man sighed and rubbed his eyes tiredly.

"...Look, Blaine, you're a smart kid", Burt started and straightened up on the couch, watching Blaine intently, "I know we both know what's going on here. So, I just want to tell you, that if anything or anyone causes my son any chagrin, I'm going to protect him"

Blaine nodded stiffly and forced a smile. "Of course, Mr. Hummel"

"Oh, and I own a shotgun", Burt added cheerfully before getting off the couch to get his jacket.

Blaine sat frozen on the spot. Only when Kurt came down, took his hand and dragged him outside excitedly, he regained his ability of speech and, well, acting human.

* * *

"I'll come pick you up at ten", Burt said to Kurt through his opened window before driving away from the parking lot, where other parents were dropping their kids off.

Kurt waved after his father and turned excitedly to Blaine with a wide smile.

"Shall we?"

"We shall", Blaine answered and presented Kurt with his arm, which the other boy took with mock decorum.

They walked towards the gym with all the others who were chatting excitedly like them, or carefully straightening their suits and dresses.

"Kurt! Blaine! Excuse me, but could you please move?"

The boys turned their heads too look at the loud brunette pushing past some very annoyed looking people to get to them. Rachel stopped in front of the boys, panting lightly, and brushed her hair hastily back in its place, smiling widely.

"What do you think?" she asked and did a little twirl to show off her new yellow dress.

Though Kurt wasn't entirely sure about the color choice, he smiled at his friend and eyed her appreciatively.

"You look beautiful, Rachel"

The girl's smile only widened at the compliment and she grabbed Kurt's free arm so the three of them were walking together into the gym with Kurt in the middle.

Kurt was certain that he could've picked better decorations than the group who got to plan the whole dance, but he had to give them some credit for the colors they'd chosen. The room was filled with gold and black balloons, and some gold tickertape was hanging from the ceiling. The small cups that sat on the table against the far wall, were also black.

"It looks nice", Blaine said as he checked the decorations himself.

Kurt and Rachel both nodded, before Rachel let go of Kurt's arm and separated the two boys, taking both of their hands.

"Let's dance!" she exclaimed and pulled the boys on the dance floor with her.

Though the music was already blasting through the stereos, only a handful of students had mustered up the courage to be the first dancers. Rachel started dancing goofily, still holding Kurt and Blaine's hands. The two boys spun her around, doing little side stepping in the beat themselves.

After the song ended a few minutes later the music was turned off, causing a lot of boos and annoyed exclamations rise from the crowd.

Mr. Padelfort who -to his dismay- had been named as the official supervisor of the dance, climbed on the stage and tested the microphone by tapping it with his fingers a few times.

"Good evening. I hope you all have a lot of fun tonight", he started with a completely monotonic voice. "But before I can let you get back to your dancing, I need to go over some rules"

A displeased huff everyone let out in unison rang through the gym and Mr. Padefort eyed the students warningly.

"First, anyone who performs any inappropriate moves on the dance floor, will get immediately removed from the dance. That means you, Mr. Puckerman"

A boy with a mohawk slammed his hands on his hips and thrust them forward, earning loud cheering and catcalls from everyone but Kurt, Blaine and Rachel.

The teacher pointed the boy with a warning finger before getting back to his rule list.

"Second, all the school rules apply. That means, no fighting, no alcohol and no bullying"

Everyone did little nods and smiled innocently when Mr. Padelfort's eyes scanned the crowd intently.

"Good. Now get back to dancing"

The music started again and Mr. Padelfort walked off the stage and leaned against the wall with his hands crossed over his chest, trying to look intimidating.

A while later everyone was enjoying themselves on the dance floor. Well, except for the five girls who were sitting in the corner, quietly muttering to themselves.

Kurt and Blaine danced with Rachel, and none of them remembered a time they'd had more fun together. Though Kurt had had his fears, no one had given him -or Blaine- any nasty remarks.

"I'm going to get a drink", Rachel panted and gave the boys a small wave before walking off to the punch.

"You wanna sit down?" Blaine asked and wiped his forehead clean from the sweat.

Kurt nodded gratefully and walked to the closest empty seats.

"That girl will be death of me", Kurt muttered and kicked his shoes off before leaning his head back and closing his eyes tiredly. "Does she actually think I can dance for three hours straight?"

Blaine chuckled and leaned his head on his hands, watching Kurt's peaceful face intently. He had never really got why the other boys had been talking about girls so enthusiastically. Sure, they had long hair and some soft curves, but Kurt's boyish face, with his gorgeous blue eyes and his slim body was so much more beautiful to watch.

"I can feel you staring", Kurt suddenly said, startling Blaine out of his thoughts. "Is there something on my face?" he asked and straightened up, brushing his cheek with his fingers.

"Your face is perfect- I mean, uh, it's clean. Nothing on your face. Looks great"

Blaine hung his head in embarrassment and hoped the ground under him would just open and swallow him. Kurt eyed Blaine in amusement, but then he turned his head to the dance floor and aaw'ed.

"I love this song", he mumbled and gazed the more or less awkwardly slow-dancing couples dreamily.

Blaine listened to the song for a moment before identifying it as _At last, _by Etta James_._ He glanced at Kurt, who was swaying slowly to the beat on his seat, watching in mild jealousy as Rachel was spun around the floor by her lab partner.

"Kurt?", Blaine asked tentatively and cleared his throat. "W-would you like to dance?"

Kurt faced his friend with a surprised look, but smiled sweetly. "You really want to? You don't think the others-"

"Kurt, I don't care about them", Blaine interrupted and in a sudden rush of courage took Kurt's hand in his. "I want to dance with you, and if they don't like it.. well, they can go to hell for all I care"

Kurt laughed and bit his lip to keep his grin at bay before nodding and picking his shoes up from the floor, putting them back on his feet.

The two of them then walked to the dance floor, staying at the edge of it. Blaine smiled nervously at Kurt and lifted his hands on Kurt's shoulders, pulling him in for a bit. Kurt smiled and placed his own hands on Blaine's back, urging the other boy even closer.

They started swaying slowly, mere inches between their bodies. Some of the other students were staring at the two of them in mixture of surprise and disgust, but neither of the boys noticed. When the song was about halfway done, Blaine stepped even closer to Kurt and leaned his head against his shoulder.

"I'm really glad you came with me", he mumbled quietly.

Kurt hummed in agreement and brushed his nose against Blaine's neck, sending small shivers down the boy's back.

The song ended far too soon for Blaine's liking and he reluctantly let go of Kurt, offering the other boy a small smile.

"Thanks for the dance", Kurt said as they walked back to their table. "I have never really slow danced before"

"Well, I'm glad you gave me the honor of being your first dance partner, then", Blaine answered with a smile and pulled Kurt's chair out for him.

"Always such a gentleman", Kurt teased as he sat down.

Blaine grinned and winked at him, sitting back down on his chair just when Rachel came running back to them.

"Did you see? I was dancing with a boy! An Actual boy!" she gushed, trying to keep her voice low.

"Yes, we did sweetie", Kurt chuckled and patted the seat next to him. "You two would make a really cute couple"

"You think so?" Rachel asked giddily and started excitedly planning her entire life if she and Mike Chang were to get married.

* * *

The rest of the evening passed in similar way; Rachel talking excitedly to Kurt, while Blaine just sat quietly next to them, staring at Kurt and the way his lips moved when he spoke dreamily.

They were just dancing to a Britney Spears song, when Mr. Padelfort climbed back on stage and the music was once again turned off.

"Okay kids, this is the second last song of the night. I hope you had a great time", he said and sighed, glad it was finally over. "Now, let's give a round of applause for all of those who were kind enough to spare their free time for planning this dance"

Everyone clapped politely before the music was turned back on, playing - of course- _My Heart Will Go On._

"I don't really want to dance anymore", Kurt said and loosened his tie. "It's pretty hot in here, do you mind if we go wait for my dad already?"

Blaine nodded and the two of them left Rachel, kissing the girl on both of her cheeks for goodbye, before walking out of the gym doors.

Kurt sighed contently when he felt the cool breeze on his overheated skin and did a little twirl before jumping around Blaine happily as the two of them walked to the parking lot.

"Did you have fun?" he asked, but didn't wait for his answer and poked Blaine's shoulder playfully "Tag, you're it!", before trying to run from him.

"Yeah, I did actually", Blaine chuckled and quickly caught Kurt by his waist, pulling him back against him and tickling him gently.

Kurt laughed and leaned back against the other boy, letting his head fall on Blaine's shoulder, when the other boy wrapped his arms around his middle from behind. He stared at the stars above them and sighed.

"We're so small compared to them, aren't we?"

"Yeah", Blaine agreed and gazed upwards until his neck started hurt and he was forced to turn his head away.

When he lowered his eyes, he found Kurt watching him thoughtfully, his eyes darting between Blaine's eyes and lips. He swallowed at the intensity of Kurt's gaze, effectively breaking the other boy's eye contact.

"I-I think I'll go use the bathroom", Kurt mumbled, a small blush rising to his cheeks, and freed himself from Blaine's grip before quickly taking off back to the gym.

Blaine stared after him in confusion. Did they just.. have a _moment?_

He was brought back from his thoughts when he heard a loud noise of a shattering glass. Blaine turned his head to find, three boys -men?- walking towards him, obviously drunk.

"Hey you!" one of them shouted and pointed at Blaine. "You're that little fag my bro's been tellin' me about, aren't you!"

Blaine took a step back and shook his head, but the men kept nearing him, and he found himself rooted on the spot.

"That's disgusting, you know?" the man continued, and took a swig from his beer bottle. "I saw you, and that little 'friend' of yours", he said and pointed at the gym behind them. "I felt obglid- obliged to come here and tell you something", he slurred and placed his hand on Blaine's shoulder, leaning closer to say something.

Blaine could feel the man's hot breath, reeking of alcohol, on his face. His heart was beating faster than ever, and he couldn't find the power to move his legs.

"You're sick", the man spat out.

Blaine was starting to shake. The other two men were coming closer to him and the man who had spoken.

"P-please...", he managed to choke out, but it only caused the men to burst into laughter.

" 'P-please?' ", one of them mocked and threw his head back in laughter. "You're pathetic!"

Blaine tried to push the man whose hand was still on his shoulder away, but despite being as drunk as he was, the man's grip was strong.

"Where are you going?" he asked and grinned evilly, "We're not done with you yet"

Blaine didn't even register that he'd been hit, until he was lying on the ground with his jaw stinging all over. The three men loomed over him, kicking and beating, not caring about his screams and pleads for them to stop.

He screamed in agony when he felt a sudden sharp kick against his ribcage and nearly threw up, almost seeing how the bones broke in front of his eyes. He closed his eyes, willing himself to think he wasn't here, that this wasn't happening to him.

"Blaine?"

_Oh no, no, no, Kurt, go away! _Blaine thought, not daring to open his eyes.

He heard fast footsteps approaching him and his attackers, who were looking at Kurt in amusement.

"Get away from him!" Kurt shouted, trying to keep the fear he felt prickling under his skin away from his voice.

"Ooh, I'm so scared!" the tallest man of the group laughed and stepped closer to Kurt. "I guess we'll have to teach a lesson to you too, princess"

Without thinking, Kurt swung his fist, hitting the man right under his left eye.

"You little piece of shit fag!" the man growled and threw himself at Kurt, knocking the boy down. Kurt felt pain shoot through his ankle and he hissed in pain before the man lifted him back up by his collar and punched Kurt straight in the face.

Both boys whimpered in pain while the men kept battering them mercilessly, shouting taunts and laughing. The men finally froze when they heard someone screaming and turned their heads to find the students and a few teachers already out of the gym.

The man who was holding Kurt by his collar loosened his grip, causing Kurt to fall on the ground on his back. Mr. Padefort walked through the crowd to see what was causing the ruckus, but halted when he saw Kurt and Blaine and their attackers.

The men fled the place, stumbling in their drunken state. Mr. Padelfort ran after them, turning around to scream for someone to call the ambulance.

Blaine opened his eyes and coughed, feeling a surge of pain in his chest. His eyes widened when he saw the red liquid he had coughed out on the ground.

He heard a pained whimper from his side and turned on his side so he was facing the other direction, though it hurt his ribs.

Kurt was lying on his back, where the man had left him, with a split lip and an already bruising eye.

"K-Kurt?" Blaine croaked, crawling closer to his friend. "Are y-you okay?"

" 'M fine", Kurt mumbled, opening his eyes slowly. "Blaine, y're bleeding", he slurred and tried to lift his hand to touch the small cut on Blaine's cheek.

"So are you", Blaine said and gently lifted his hand to touch Kurt's lip.

He noticed how his hand already had blood on it and turned his head down in confusion before his eyes widened in horror. A pool of red surrounded Kurt' head and his hair was sticky with it.

"'M tired, Blaine", Kurt mumbled again, his eyes slipping closed.

"No, Kurt, no! You can't fall asleep right now!" Blaine pleaded and took Kurt's hand to squeeze it softly.

"...Why not?" Kurt whined.

"The ambulance is coming, Kurt. You just have to stay awake a little longer, can you do that for me?"

Kurt tried to nod sleepily and forced his eyes open, looking right into Blaine's.

"Okay? You'll stay awake?"

"Okay", Kurt agreed with a dopey smile on his lips.

Blaine kept squeezing Kurt's hand and stroking his cheek, talking quietly to him begging him to stay awake. Mrs. Kendrick, another supervisor of the dance came to the boys and kneeled next to Blaine, telling him the ambulance was on its way.

Blaine nodded and smiled at Kurt, though his eyes were starting to get a bit teary.

"Did you hear that, Kurt? Just a little longer, okay?"

Kurt smiled back at Blaine, but then his eyes started drooping again. He managed to keep them open and gazed deeply into Blaine's eyes.

"Blaine? You have really pretty eyes", he mumbled, his eyes getting more and more unfocused before they finally closed and there was nothing else but darkness.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: nothing shocking happening in this one. some might even call it a filler. BUT thank you, thank you, thank you all for your reviews and favorites and alerts and stuff! you're just too sweet and adorable, and if I could I'd give you all the chocolate and cookies and puppies in the world!**

* * *

Blaine scrunched his eyes shut when he was awoken by the bright rays of light on his lids. He attempted to open his eyes and mumbled something incoherent sleepily before reaching for his alarm clock on his bedside drawer.

He froze when he felt a sudden twinge in his chest and let out a small groan, falling back on his fluffy white pillows and rubbing his eyes.

_White? _Blaine's eyes shot open and he looked around frantically as the dance and the picture of an unconscious Kurt came flooding back to his mind.

He was in a white room with a light green blanket covering his pajama clad chest -which was probably covered in bandages considering the pain in his ribs- and a mop of unruly curly hair by his side.

"Mom?" he asked, but only managed a small whisper with his dry throat.

"Mom?" he tried again and this time Melanie shot right up, looking around in confusion before her eyes found Blaine and she smiled with tear-filled eyes.

"Blaine! Oh my god, I was so worried!" she sobbed and hugged her son around his neck, careful not to touch his upper body.

Blaine blinked in surprise but wrapped his arms around her, watching over her shoulder to see if there was anyone else in the other two beds in the room. There wasn't.

"Mom, where's Kurt?" he asked worriedly when Melanie had finally kissed and squeezed him for long enough to believe he was alive. "Is he okay?"

"What? Oh, yes. Kurt. He's, um", Melanie stammered, glancing at the door quickly before continuing, "He's.. still getting taken care of, but I'm sure he'll be fine, sweetie"

Blaine made an attempt at smiling back at his mother, but he was still worried -despite Melanie's rather weak attempt at calming him down.

"I'll go get your dad, okay? We'll be right back"

Blaine nodded and Melanie disappeared through the door with a kind smile. Blaine was unsure what to do with himself. Of course, he would've loved to go banging on doors and look for Kurt, but that probably wouldn't be the smartest course of action right now. He settled for huffing and tapping his finger against the side of the bed impatiently, staring at the ceiling in boredom.

Moments after his mother had left, the door swung open again. Burt walked into the room and smiled at Blaine, though it didn't quite reach his tired eyes.

"I saw your mom", Burt explained and stepped closer to the boy's bed, keeping his hands in his pockets. "She told me you'd woken up, so I decided to come see you"

Blaine just nodded when the silence between them kept growing.

"So, um, are you in any pain? Asking if you're okay, would just be a dumb question", Burt said and pulled the chair Melanie had been sitting on a bit further from the bed so he could sit down.

"I'm fine, I think. My chest hurts a little"

"Well I guess that's understandable since you have three broken ribs", Burt muttered and smiled apologetically to the boy.

Blaine shrugged, though even that stung a little and sat up a bit straighter.

"Is Kurt okay?" he asked warily, his heart dropping a little when he saw the pained look on Burt's face.

"He lost a lot of blood, so they had to give him a transfusion. And when he was", Burt paused to swallow the lump in his throat, "being hit, his head took a lot of the damage. Subdural hematoma, the doctor said"

Blaine worried his lower lip between his teeth and glanced at the door once more.

"Where is he?"

"You can go see him later, but right now he's still sleeping. One floor above us, actually. They have to make another surgery later"

"Why?"

"His ankle", Burt explained, visualizing the injury with his hands as he spoke. "It twisted really badly"

Blaine nodded dumbly, turning his head to look out of the window before returning his eyes back to Burt.

"I'm so sorry, Burt. I-", he started, but got cut off quickly.

"If you're trying to apologize for what happened, don't. It's not your, or Kurt's fault. The guys who did this are the only ones to blame. And as for Kurt, I'm just grateful that he's alive, so no need to feel sorry for me, okay?"

"Okay", Blaine agreed, albeit a bit hesitantly.

Burt smiled at the boy and gave his knee a gentle squeeze before getting up.

"I'll go now, but I promise I'll come get you as soon as he wakes up"

"Thanks, Burt"

The older man nodded and flashed Blaine one last smile and walked out of the door which didn't even have the time to close before Melanie burst back in, George walking calmly behind her.

"Hi dad!" Blaine greeted him brightly.

"Hi", George smiled back at his son and sat at the edge of his bed while stroking his hair softly, something he hadn't done since Blaine was ten.

"I'm glad you're okay"

Blaine smiled at the sincerity in George's voice and lifted his arms as much as he could to give him a small hug.

The three Anderson's sat together for a while, Blaine's both hands being held by his parents, talking and just keeping some company to each other.

A while later a doctor in his late forties came to check on Blaine. He smiled and promised that Blaine could be going home as soon as tomorrow as long as he'd be careful, before giving him an encouraging pat on his shoulder and leaving the family back to themselves.

"What happened to those men?" Blaine suddenly asked when he realized no one had mentioned their attackers.

George straightened his glasses and gave Blaine a small reassuring smile.

"They didn't get very far before the police caught them. Apparently, they were seniors in McKinley High, so none of them are young enough to avoid jail"

"Don't worry you won't be seeing them anytime soon", George continued and ruffled Blaine's hair.

"Your dad and I've been talking", Melanie chimed in, earning a warning look from George but she kept going anyway.

"He got the job-"

"You did? That's great!" Blaine congratulated with a wide smile, turning back to his mother when she cleared her throat.

"So, since your father got the job and he'll be working in Westerville anyway, I thought it would be better for all of us to just move there", Melanie explained, keeping an eye on Blaine's face. "There's a very good private school in there for you with a zero-tolerance bullying policy"

Blaine side-eyed his father who looked a bit uncomfortable in his seat, fidgeting with his hands. He then looked at Melanie with a confused face.

"Why can't I just stay here? You said yourselves that those guys are going to jail. They won't be any harm to us anymore"

"But there are others like them, Blaine and I don't want you to go to a high school, where you'll have to be frightened all the time"

Blaine opened his mouth to protest, but Melanie shot him a stern look, warning him to stay quiet.

"We can talk about this later", she said and stroked Blaine's knuckles apologetically. "You just focus on getting better, alright?"

Blaine nodded, but his head was already filling with thoughts. Okay, maybe moving would do some good. And who was he kidding, a zero-tolerance bullying policy sounded freaking amazing. No worrying about insults and beatings from narrow-minded jocks... Sounded like heaven.

But then of course, there was Kurt. Kurt, whose dad would never have the money to send Kurt to a private school. Kurt, who would be taking the crap for Blaine too, if he was to start in McKinley High alone. Kurt, who Blaine was very much in love with. And Blaine really didn't want to be in his safe heaven enjoying high school, while his best friend would be ninety miles away in a school filled with idiots and homophobes.

Blaine was brought back from his thoughts when there was a knock on the door and Burt stepped in, offering a smile for Melanie and George.

"Kurt's awake now. Do you mind if I steal Blaine for a moment?"

"No, not at all", Melanie answered with a warm smile and let go of Blaine's hand. "But it's probably best if he stays in a wheelchair for now. The nurse left it there in the corner"

Burt went to take the chair and pushed it next to Blaine's bed, then offering his hand for the boy to help him in it.

Blaine gritted his teeth not to start groaning again and eventually managed to get seated in the wheelchair. Burt pushed him out of the room and down the hall to the elevator, nodding his goodbyes to Blaine's parents who went to grab some food in the cafeteria.

When the pair finally got to Kurt's floor and were getting closer to his room, Blaine was seriously considering just jumping out of the chair and running the reminder of the distance.

Burt stopped and knocked on the door before pushing it open and letting Blaine wheel himself in first.

Kurt looked small lying on the hospital bed, his face bruised and a bandage around his head, looking at Blaine with his signature grin.

"Hi", he greeted, his voice still a bit hoarse. "How're you feeling?" he asked as Blaine wheeled himself next to Kurt's bed and smiled widely, taking the boy's hand in his.

"I'm fine. What about you? Burt told me you have to have another surgery"

Kurt grimaced. "Yeah.. Well, for now I only have some headache and my ankle is pretty sore, but it'll get better"

"Good", Blaine said quietly, not realizing even himself how long he and Kurt had been staring at each other until Burt cleared his throat.

"I'm just.. gonna go to the cafeteria too, okay?" he said and threw the boys a weird look before walking out of the room, leaving Kurt and Blaine alone.

Kurt turned to Blaine and motioned at his wheelchair. "What's that for?"

"Oh, I have three broken ribs so it's not probably the smartest thing to do to walk around a lot. Mainly it's only because mom's worried about me", Blaine explained and paused to lick his lips nervously before continuing, "She even wants us to move"

"Move? Where?" Kurt straightened up on the bed and frowned.

"Westerville. Dad got a job there, so I guess it would be easiest for all of us just to move"

Kurt bit his lip and nodded slowly. "Yeah, that's probably true. So, um, which school would you start at?" he asked with feigned enthusiasm.

"Some fancy private school", Blaine huffed, clearly not impressed. "Mom seems to think it's a great place. They even have a no bullying policy"

"That sounds great", Kurt said, turning his eyes away from Blaine's and fiddling with his blanket. "You really should go there"

Blaine shrugged and squeezed Kurt's hand to get the other boy's attention back on him.

"I'm not so sure about it. The place doesn't even sound that great"

"Why?"

"Because you wouldn't be there with me"

A small blush rose on Kurt's cheeks, and Blaine almost had to slap himself to refrain from leaning over and pressing his lips on Kurt's.

But seriously, Blaine pretty much always had to do that to keep from kissing those pink, perfect, luscious-

"Blaine?" Kurt asked, startling Blaine, an unexpected shyness creeping into his voice.

"Yeah?"

"When we.. You remember when we left the gym last night, and we were outside before I went back in?"

"..Yes?" Blaine asked leaning forward in the chair in expectation.

"You know, when we were looking at the stars and you... I was just wondering, that did you maybe... I mean, it would probably be a bit weird, but I really wanted to kis-"

Kurt got interrupted when a nurse came in, smiling sweetly at the boys and their joined hands. Though she just oozed of kindness, Blaine felt like he had never before wanted to punch someone as bad as he did then.

"Hi, I'm here to check up on Kurt", she said and took a step closer, gently hinting for Blaine to move away from the bed.

Blaine sat by the door while the nurse asked Kurt questions, and checked the wound in the back of his head then wrapping the bandage back.

"Everything seems fine", she told, her bright smile never faltering. "We'll ask your father to bring you something to eat, okay?"

After saying that she left the room, but not before giving Blaine conspiratorial nod towards Kurt accompanied by a small wink.

Blaine blushed a deep shade of red, but moved back to Kurt's side, scratching the back of his head.

"So, um, you were saying?" he said, hopeful for the conversation to pick back up where they left it.

".. Oh, it was nothing, nothing really", Kurt said with an easy smile. "So, when do you think you'd be moving?"

Blaine forced a smile and allowed for the conversation about his hypothetical move continue, though he would've given everything he owned to know what Kurt was going to say.

* * *

Being back in school next week was a bit weird for the boys. Everyone left them alone -apart from Rachel of course, who was fussing over them like a mother-, but only a fraction of the evil smirks and faces of disgust had been replaced with either pity or indifference.

Luckily no one at school knew about the nightmares they'd been having, or there wouldn't have be an end for the jocks' mocking. So yes, no one called them names, but it was still clear that some of the students were actually enjoying seeing Kurt on his crutches and Blaine struggling with his pained ribs.

And only that was enough to make Blaine even more scared for having to leave Kurt in Lima with Rachel as his only friend and defender.

"So, have you decided yet?"

Blaine lifted his eyes from the Vogue he and Kurt had been reading on Kurt's bed, and gave Kurt a confused look.

"Decided what?"

"If you're moving or not", Kurt said like it was obvious. "This is the last week of school in case you haven't noticed, and if I remember correctly, your mother said that you're going to talk things through before the summer vacation"

Blaine shrugged, unsure what to say. He'd been avoiding the topic with his parents for long enough to almost forget about it himself.

"I really don't know.. I-I don't think that I want to leave you here alone"

Kurt rolled his eyes, though it lost some of its affect with the small blush on his cheeks.

"Blaine I'm a big boy, I can take care of myself. If I'm the only reason you're hesitating, I'm going to kick your ass to Westerville myself"

Blaine chuckled and nudged Kurt playfully, pulling him against his chest as he lay on his side.

"Well, then I guess I have no choice", he mumbled teasingly against Kurt's ear, making the other boy shiver pleasantly.

"No, but seriously", Kurt said and turned around so he was facing the other boy. "It's easier for your family to move, and let's face it, Dalton is freaking amazing. If I had the chance, I'd totally ditch you and go there"

"So it wouldn't bother you? That the person who you've started your first schooldays with for eight years wouldn't be in the same high school with you?"

Kurt huffed tiredly. "Blaine you're really making this seem bigger than it is. It's not like we wouldn't ever see again. There's still time after school and on weekends. Okay, it is a bit hard to think that you won't be just down the street anymore, but I think I'll live"

Blaine chewed the inside of his cheek and gave Kurt an uncertain look, which the other boy countered with another eye roll.

"Blaine, answer honestly, do you think Dalton would be good for you?"

"Well, I-"

"Yes or no?"

"..Yes"

Kurt smirked in triumph and pushed himself to a sitting position, clapping his hands together.

"Well there you go!"

"I'm starting to think your enthusiasm is a sign that you're only wanting me to move to get rid of me", Blaine muttered and eyed Kurt with a raised brow.

"Oh, you caught me!" Kurt laughed, feigning shock and hiding his face in shame.

"Boys?" Burt's voice called from upstairs. "The dinner's ready!"

Blaine turned stared at Kurt in disbelief. "You're actually letting him cook? Wow, the doctor really underestimated the damage done to your head"

"Shut up", Kurt muttered and used his good foot to kick Blaine of the bed.

Blaine's ribs had been healing well, but the drop to the floor still stung a little. He made sure to keep his hiss of pain at bay though, because otherwise Kurt would be apologizing for the next month for kicking him.

The boys walked upstairs -Kurt with some help from Blaine-, and went into the kitchen where Burt was already sitting in the table and eating.

"Mac and cheese? Really, dad?"

"Well, excuse me! Not all of us spend our spare time reading Jamie Oliver's cook books", Burt mumbled, but his eyes were glinting with amusement.

Kurt sat down with a huff and poked the food on his place with barely hidden disgust. Blaine snickered at the look on his face before digging into his own plateful.

"So, Blaine", Burt started, after his and Kurt's debate on raising Kurt's pay for his help around shop had ended (with still no real solution), and turned to the curly haired boy, "Your dad came by the shop yesterday. Said something about you moving to Westerville?"

"Yeah.. He and mom figured it would be easier since dad got that job there", Blaine answered and shrugged.

"Any idea when you're leaving?"

"We haven't really talked about it yet.. But I'm guessing sometime in July or August"

Burt nodded and took the last piece of macaroni from his plate.

"Well, if you need any help when you're moving just ask"

"Thanks, I'll mention that to mom and dad", Blaine said with a smile before starting to clean the table with Burt, while Kurt got up and limped to the living room couch.

* * *

Later that night after two hours of Kurt complaining about the colors of the baseball players' jerseys and Burt and Blaine chuckling at him, Melanie came to pick Blaine up.

She'd been doing that every evening since Blaine had been released from the hospital, despite Blaine complaining that it made him feel like a little child.

After saying their goodbyes, the two of them walked slowly back to their house, lingering to enjoy the chilly night a bit longer.

"Mom, I've been thinking", Blaine started and kicked a small rock out of the sidewalk, "I guess moving to Westerville wouldn't be so bad after all"

"Oh", Melanie said nonchalantly, though there was an unmistakably happy undertone in her voice. "That's good"

"Yeah"

They walked in silence for a moment longer before Melanie couldn't contain her excitement anymore and he squeezed Blaine in a tight hug.

"I promise, you're just going to fall in love with Westerville and Dalton!"

Blaine grinned and nodded in feigned enthusiasm, before turning to look at the Hummel house and smiling sadly to himself.

It really would be weird not having Kurt always so close to him.


	10. Chapter 10

If anyone ever tells you that high school isn't as bad as people say, don't believe them. They're either high, or belong to a mental hospital.

Kurt realized this pretty much as soon as he stepped through the doors of William McKinley High School for the first time. The hallways were crowded and navigating through them without getting hit in the head was nearly impossible. Jocks kept throwing footballs to each other, not caring who was in their way, and cheerleaders refused to step aside if you happened to walk towards them.

Kurt tried to walk as close to the lockers as possible and keep an eye on everyone, but suddenly he collided with a back that was covered by a red letterman jacket.

"Watch it!" the jock huffed and turned around, brushing his jacket clean.

His face turned to a smirk, as well as all his friends', when he saw Kurt -smaller that any of them- practically shivering under their stare like a little rabbit.

"Well, isn't this cute? It's the little homo!"

All five jocks snickered evilly, casting pitying looks on Kurt. He tried to rush past the boys but one of them stepped on his way and grabbed the front of his shirt.

"Are you sad your boyfriend isn't here with you, homo?" the boy asked, feigned sympathy in his voice. "Don't worry, we'll give you a good old-fashioned McKinley welcome, right guys?"

They all nodded, grinning like cheshire cats as they pulled Kurt back outside with them. No one stopped the jocks as they passed them in the hallway. Everyone kept their head down, pretending not to hear Kurt's shouts and cursing.

* * *

Mere minutes later Kurt found himself lying at the bottom of a dumpster, his new 'friends' laughing manically and high-fiving each other as they walked back inside, leaving Kurt alone.

When Kurt was sure the jocks were far enough he warily lifted his head to peak if anyone was near before climbing out of the dumpster.

_Don't cry. Don't cry. Do not cry, _he chanted to himself under his breath as he brushed his jeans clean.

He then turned back towards the school building, but hissed when he took a first step with his right foot. A sprained ankle. Wonderful. Kurt bit his lip as he limped to the tree that was closest to him and took his black converse off to take a closer look.

The foot already looked a bit swollen, and Kurt could see a small bruise forming. He sighed tiredly and leaned his head against the tree, running his hands through his hair. Was this what it was going to be like?

He had of course expected it. During summer many people -some were even high school juniors or seniors- had been giving him and Blaine a hard time. It was very hard to try to shop while four guys were following you around and throwing their chewing gums at you, so in the end Kurt and Blaine had spent the majority of summer in their houses, or by a small lake where only a few families came by every once in a while.

Kurt was tempted to push his hand in his satchel and dig out his phone to call Blaine, but the other boy had probably already turned off his phone. After reading the Dalton's rule book -which by the way is _a very thick book_- Kurt knew that the students were strictly forbidden to keep their cell phones on during school.

He heard the bell ring and quickly put his shoe back on, lacing it hastily before half-running inside, trying to keep the weight off of his foot.

"You're late"

Kurt eyed the old female teacher disbelievingly and glanced at the clock on the wall before turning back to her.

"Seriously? It's the first day of school, and I was late for like.. a minute"

The teacher -Mrs. Bletheim, said the name on the blackboard- pursed her lips in annoyance and grabbed a paper slip from her table before writing something on it and handing it to Kurt without a word.

"Detention?" Kurt squeaked, causing some chuckling to rise from the other students. "What for? I thought you only get detention for tardiness once you've been late four times"

"That's for your attitude, Mr. Hummel. Now sit down. You have delayed us long enough", Mrs. Bletheim said sourly and pointed at the only vacant seat in the front row.

After that, the day was pure hell for Kurt. Rachel was too busy harassing every clubs' leaders, asking questions and writing her name in dozens of sign-up sheets to spend time with him. They didn't have any classes together either, so Kurt sat alone, doodling in his notebook pretending no to notice the giggling and name-calling that followed him everywhere. And the teachers were just as blind as the ones in middle school. He got the blame for everything.

And -even better- the word of his dumpster dive spread around fast, notifying everyone to not spend time with him or the jocks would give them the same treatment. His status at the bottom of the high school food-chain had been officially secured.

But there was something even worse than the humiliation of his dumpster-toss or the ignorance of his fellow students. And that was the empty feeling in the pit of his stomach, telling him that no one cared. That he was all alone.

After school he limped back home. The journey took twice as long as it normally would, not only because of the limping, but because Kurt had to make little detours every time he noticed a letterman jacket nearby.

When he finally reached his doorstep, his ankle was stinging and his shoulder sore from the few locker slams he had received on his way out.

He leaned back against the door, when he got inside and slid down to sit on the floor, burying his face in his hands. The sobs he had held in the whole day finally broke through, echoing quietly in the empty house.

* * *

Blaine brushed his hair with his fingers self-consciously, when he entered the common room and saw the other freshman in their neat uniforms and stylish hair, chatting with each other excitedly. Blaine's curly hair was all over the place as usual, his uniform already a bit wrinkled and his tie hanging looser than it should. He really stuck out, and that was the last thing he wanted to do right now.

Blaine walked slowly to a couch near the window, which was the only one that wasn't fully occupied yet. Only a short -even shorter than Blaine- boy with glasses and light brown hair was sitting on it, most of his face hidden behind a book.

Blaine glanced at the cover of the book and smiled. _The three musketeers_, he had read that one.

"That's a great book", Blaine said. Might as well try and make some friends. "I prefer _The count of Monte Cristo, _though"

The boy didn't do as much as blink. Just sat quietly, continuing his reading like Blaine wasn't even there.

Blaine sighed and scanned the room with his eyes, searching for someone else to talk to, but he was interrupted when the door opened and seven boys walked inside. They were all of course wearing the Dalton uniform and smiling kindly as they made their way over to the center of the room, gesturing for everyone to come closer.

"Hello everyone, and welcome to Dalton", an Asian-featured boy began, making sure to look every freshman in the eyes on their turn. "My name is Wesley -but, please call me Wes- and we are the sophomores, who will be giving you a small tour of our school today"

The other six nodded beside Wes, who then clapped his hands together once in quiet excitement.

"Okay, so, we have put you on groups four groups of four and three groups of six. When one of us calls your name, go to that person, he will be your group leader, okay?"

Everyone nodded in understanding on muttered 'yeahs' and 'yes's'. The older boy spread around the room in their own spaces and began calling their group's members.

Blaine's group leader was Wes, who greeted him and the tree other boys -the boy with the book ("Jonathan", he mumbled quietly), a really enthusiastic boy named Trent and blonde Jeff, who parted from his shorter dark-haired friend with over-dramatic crying- and then the three were out of the room, walking down the hall, listening as Wes told them about the paintings on the wall, explained which classroom was which and so on.

"So, you're from Lima?" Trent asked, stepping closer to Blaine and smiling at him.

"Yeah, we moved here in July"

"So you're not a boarding student?" Jeff suddenly joined the conversation, making Blaine flinch with his sudden closeness.

"No, I am. I mean, I will stay here during the week, and maybe on some weekends", Blaine explained, "but my mom wanted to get a big house outside of the town, and it would make no sense for them to drive me to school every day. Besides they both got new jobs, which include a lot of travelling"

"Oh, okay. My mom's in New York", Jeff told, smiling charmingly at Wes who turned to give the boys a stern glare to shut them up.

"My parents live in Columbus", Trent said and opened his mouth to say something else, but was interrupted when Wes huffed and turned around, making the four boys stop, Jonathan nearly bumping to his chest because of the book in front of his face.

"I would appreciate it, if you'd kindly keep your mouth shut", he said calmly, eyeing the boys while trying to look as friendly as possible.

Blaine mumbled a quiet 'sorry' along with the others. Wes smiled approvingly and turned on his heel to continue the tour, leading the boys outside on the school grounds.

"So, the building we were just in was just the actual school, with classrooms and library and so forth. We have also two dorms, the other one on your right and the other on your left, and a gym"

Wes walked to the dorm on their right, pausing on their way to tell about the statue of Mr. Dalton, founder of the school, who was born in 1879 -"Seventy-six", corrected Jonathan with a barely audible whisper- and admire the landscape.

Jeff turned his head to look at the lake behind the school and shouted a loud "Hey Wesley!" making the older boy flinch.

"Yes, Jeff?" Wes muttered through gritted teeth, rubbing his ear in annoyance.

"Is it okay to swim in the lake?"

Wes' eyes widened as if it was the stupidest question he had ever heard. "Of course not! It says so on the page forty-nine of Dalton rulebook! You _did_ read it?"

"No", answered Blaine, Trent and Jeff in unison, while Jonathan blushed and nodded.

".. Let's just go to the dorm"

* * *

"Hi, Wes!"

"Hi David", Wes greeted the boy with a grin and bumped fists with him.

"Sorry for Wes, guys", David said and turned to face the four boys who were standing at the dorm door, and smirked at them. "He acted like he had a bamboo stick up his ass, didn't he?"

"I did not!"  
"Yeah, he did"

Blaine laughed with the others as Wes punched David in the arm, while Jonathan quietly snuck past the boys, pulling the key to his room from his pocket and disappearing up the stairs.

Dalton's dorm building looked kind of like a really nice apartment house, Blaine thought as he looked around taking in the beautifully decorated 'lobby' they were standing in.

"Kitchen and the common room are in the second floor", David panted out when he managed to get Wes's hand twisted behind the boy's back. "Above that are two floors for dorm rooms. Most people have a roommate, but there are some single rooms"

Wes kicked David in the shins, making the other boy let go of him with an 'oomph', and straightened up, clearing his throat before gesturing for the boys to follow him upstairs to help them find their rooms.

_I could really grow to like this place, _Blaine found himself thinking as he walked behind Wes, Jeff and Trent chatting excitedly beside him.

* * *

_"-but in the end he wasn't so bad. I didn't expect Wes to be so laid back, but David said it's like Wes has two different personalities for when he's 'on duty' and when he's having fun. Oh, and Nick and Jeff seem nice too. I've already mentioned Jeff, you remember the blonde I was talking about last week?"_

"Yeah, I remember", Kurt answered, hugging his pillow closer to his chest. He couldn't help but to feel a little jealous of Blaine. He got a fresh start unlike Kurt, who spent his entire time dodging spitballs and cleaning banana peels off of his shirts, while trying to hide the bruises from his father. It's not like Burt needed any more things to worry about.

Burt's shop wasn't apparently doing too well at the moment. He kept working overtime, missing dinners and when he finally got home, he was too tired to interact more than ask a simple 'How's school?', which Kurt always returned with an equally simple 'Fine'.

_"Wes even asked if I want to join the Warblers!" _Blaine rejoiced at the other end of the line, unaware of Kurt's musings.

"That's great.. What were the Warblers again?" Kurt asked, while rolling on his stomach on the bed and pushing his hand under it.

_"It's an acapella group. They're amazing, you should've seen it Kurt, I swear they'd blow you away!"_

"I bet they would", Kurt mumbled and pulled the old shoebox from under the bed and placed it on the bed in front of him.

He only half listened as Blaine kept going on and on about his new school and friends, and opened the lid of the box, smiling gently at the contents of it.

Over the years the box had become like a little sanctuary for everything and everyone important to him. His butterfly pictures were still there stacked in two piles, tied together with white bows, though they hadn't really increased in number since the day he met Blaine. He had gotten something else to do with his free-time.

Kurt reached his hand out to take a folded piece of paper from the box, opening it carefully. It was the drawing Blaine had made him on the day his mother died. Kurt smiled at the memory. Blaine had always been so sweet. And kind.. and caring... and perfect.

He shook his head and folded the paper back up, putting it back in the box and taking the picture of his mom and himself. They were sitting in a soft-looking garden chair, Kurt in Elizabeth's lap in their backyard, smiling broadly as the sun shone above them, creating a halo on his mother's hair.

".. I really miss you", Kurt whispered and smiled sadly at the picture.

_"Did you say something?"_

"Oh, nothing, nothing. You were saying?"

_"I can't come to your place on Saturday", _Blaine said apologetically and Kurt's heart sunk. Sleepover with Blaine had been the only ray of light in his week, and now even that was gone. Not to mention the fact that this was the first time Blaine had ever bailed on him.

_"I hope you don't mind. It's just that mom wants to take me shopping. Something about bonding, I guess. I hope he won't try to set me up with some random boy", _Blaine joked, but cleared his throatwhen he got no response.

"Why can't you just come here later?" Kurt asked, trying not to sound too desperate. He really needed to talk with Blaine, face to face.

_"I, uh, kinda promised to David that I would go to his house with the guys"_

"'The guys?'" Kurt repeated incredulously. "Blaine, we agreed ages ago that this was the only weekend in three weeks when you're available"

_"I know, I'm sorry, but... Kurt I really need to make some friends, get to know people. I don't want to spend the entire year alone. I'm really sorry, I'll make it up to you", _Blaine promised.

"Yeah. Sure, you go and hang out with 'the guys'. I'll just find something else to do", Kurt huffed and shut the shoebox, pushing it back in its place angrily.

Blaine fell silent and for a while the only sound Kurt could hear was his steady breathing.

_"... If you're mad-", _Blaine started.

"I'm not"

_"But if-"_

"Blaine, it's fine. I understand. Really"

_"..Okay. So, uh, how's- how's school?"_

"It's fine", Kurt mumbled, sighing tiredly. "You know, Blaine it's getting pretty late, so I'm just gonna go to sleep now, okay?"

_"Okay. Kurt, I really am sorry. We can go shopping the next time I come?"_

"Sure"

_"... Goodnight, Kurt"_

"Goodnight"

* * *

Blaine stared at the phone in his hand in confusion. _'Sure'?_ That was not how Kurt Hummel answered to a promise of a shopping trip.

"Who was that?", came a voice that nearly made Blaine jump in the air.

Blaine lifted his head and saw Jeff and Nick on the opposite side of the fairly big room, in their pajamas, sitting on Trent's bed and going through his comic books.

"How did you get in here?" he asked, glancing at -at least what he thought was- the locked door with wide eyes.

"Please!" Nick snorted and threw Blaine a nasty look. "The locks in this school are probably the easiest to pick in the entire world"

"And the previously asked question still remains", Jeff said and placed his hands under his chin while lying on the bed on his stomach, wiggling his legs childishly. "Who was that? Sounded like a lovers' quarrel to me. Is that Kurt your boyfriend?"

"What? No!" Blaine screeched with an unusually high-pitched voice. "We're just friends! Best friends. He's my best friend. I'm straight"

Nick arched his eyebrow doubtfully and shared a quick look with Jeff.

"So you two have been best friends for...?"

"Eight years. Or so" _It's kind of hard to remember anything from the time before it._

Blaine took the water bottle from his bedside drawer and took long gulps while Jeff and Nick shifted on Trent's bed, getting to a sitting position.

"Mm-m.. And out of those eight years, for how many have you been "heterosexually" in love with him?" Jeff asked calmly.

Blaine spat the water out of his mouth, coughing wildly while Nick and Jeff smirked at each other and hopped off the bed to walk over to Blaine's and rub comforting circles in his back.

"Is it- Is it really that obvious?" Blaine croaked, wiping watery his eyes.

"Yes"

Blaine groaned and hung his head, feeling his cheeks heating up.

"Soo... have you told him?" Jeff asked, sounding like a thirteen-year-old gossiping girl.

"Did it sound like I've told him?"

"... Fair point"

Nick and Jeff -creepily exactly at the same time- grabbed Blaine's shoulders and pulled him on the bed on his back with them, so they all were lying side by side on the bed, Jeff and Nick still rubbing Blaine's shoulders.

"We know we haven't really known each other for more than like a week-", Nick started, and Jeff hurried to continue almost as if it was the same person talking.

"but we both still consider you our friend. So if you want to talk about Kurt, or explain why you were trying to hide your gayness-"

"We're here", they finished in unison.

"Thanks guys. I appreciate it, but I'd rather not talk about anything right now", Blaine said and yawned loudly. "I think I'll just try to get some sleep"

"Okay", Nick said and snuggled closer to Blaine closing his eyes as Jeff did same on the other side of the boy.

"...Guys?"

"Shh... We'll be your teddy bears tonight, don't you worry"

Blaine chuckled lightly before pushing both boys of his bed.

"Hey!"

"That's not how you treat a teddy bear, Mr. Anderson! We'll never let you snuggle us again!", Jeff spat out and marched out of the room, Nick following after him and sticking his tongue out at Blaine.

Blaine rolled his eyes and slipped under his covers, hugging his pillow closer to him.

_"We didn't mean it, Blaine!"_

_"Yeah, we love you, man!"_

_"Jeff, Nick, if you don't shut up right now, I swear to god I'll-!"_

_"Take it easy Papa Bear! Blaine's just having problems with looove, and we as his friends were just trying to- gaah!"_

Blaine muffled his laughter against his pillow and grinned when he heard Wes banging his and David's door open and running after the two boys, screaming incoherently. It wasn't long until he fell asleep with a content smile on his lips, while 88 miles away his best friend tossed and turned in his bed, biting his fist to keep his father from hearing the sobs that wrecked his whole body as he thought about the next day and its horrors.


	11. Chapter 11

"Okay guys, today we're playing dodgeball", Ken Tanaka announced, and Kurt pondered if he would still be able to fake a fever to skip class, while the others grinned excitedly save for the three 'nerds', whose knees were nearly shaking with fear.

Coach Tanaka randomly pointed at two boys to pick the teams, but Kurt couldn't have cared less who they were. He always got picked last anyway -with _a lot_ of reluctance.

The game began as the teacher blew his whistle and everyone took off towards the balls in the center. Kurt ran as fast as he could and grabbed a ball before turning around and running almost to the back wall, so he wouldn't be the first target to the opposite side players.

He jumped away from the balls that were flying towards him, keeping the ball he had picked up tightly in his hands the whole time.

The three boys with shaky knees were already out, and Kurt could practically feel Karofsky's eyes when they fixed on him. He blindly threw the ball when he saw Karofsky swinging his hand back to throw his own, hitting Azimio in the face.

Everyone froze. Kurt stared at Azimio in shock, who looked back in surprise, but his face was soon replaced with rage. Coach Tanaka had already left the gym for a moment to 'make a quick phone call', so Kurt was unprotected when Azimio and Karofsky, along with their other friends came closer to him, bouncing their balls threateningly.

"You're gonna die, Lady", Azimio said before throwing the first ball.

Kurt barely had the time to put his hands in front of his face before he was being hit by all of the hard rubber balls. They hurt much more when they came from such a close proximity, Kurt realized. The boys -even the ones who weren't throwing balls at him- were laughing and making fun of him as he fell to the ground, holding his hands out to soften the blow.

A one particularly hard one hit him in the face, causing his nose to start bleeding. Kurt watched as the redness dripped on his shirt and turned his scared eyes towards his tormentors, who had clearly decided that they'd had enough fun with him and were now gathering the balls and lining them back up to the center of the gym to start a new game.

The door opened as Kurt was getting up, and coach Tanaka huffed loudly when he saw him.

"What happened this time, Hummel?", he asked tiredly, but then waved his hand dismissively, "You know what, just go see the nurse. And go home straight after, there's no need for you to come back to my class"

Kurt nodded before muttering a quiet sorry and leaving the class, squeezing his nose with his thumb and index finger tightly.

He went back to the locker room and took some paper to push into his nose to stop the bleeding, but took a quick look at himself in the mirror before getting his clothes back on. The pale face that stared back at him had changed eerily from what it had been last year. Under his eyes were dark bags, gotten form the many sleepless nights he'd been having and his cheeks were appearing a bit hollow, while his eyes stared back at him sadly.

Kurt shook his head at the reflection and slipped back into his clothes. He didn't want to be like this. He didn't want to be the helpless little gay kid that everyone picked on. He didn't want to be a helpless victim anymore.

* * *

Blaine leaned against the wall and tapped the ground impatiently with his foot. It had been weeks since he'd last seen Kurt because the sleepover got canceled, and he'd felt bad for it ever since. Which was why he had asked his mother to drive him to Lima earlier that day, so he could surprise Kurt and spend the whole weekend at the Hummel's.

The bell finally rang, and soon the students were flowing out of the doors, chatting excitedly about their plans for the weekend. Blaine craned his neck as he tried to spot the familiar chestnut hair and blue eyes in the crowd, but frowned when he couldn't find them.

He stepped away from the wall and walked towards the building to go see if his friend was still inside, but halted when he heard some boys talking loudly when they passed him.

"Great job, Puckerman! You've totally earned your jacket now"

"Yeah, Lady Hummel had no idea what hit him!"

Blaine's eyes widened and he quickly turned around to look after the retreating backs of the footballers before dashing to the direction where they'd come from. His heart beat furiously in his chest as he ran behind the building. He felt exactly like he'd felt at the night of the dance when he was tightly squeezing Kurt's hand and fearing for his friend's life.

He was running past a large dumpster when he heard something pounding its lid. The sound stopped, but he slowed down and jogged to it, frowning when he noticed the fairly big rock that had been placed on the dumpster to keep it shut. He looked around and bit his lip, wasn't sure if he should open it. Maybe a raccoon or something was trapped inside and it would bite him the second he'd open the lid.

Blaine was already turning to leave when he heard a quiet high-pitched sobbing, that was definitely human. He quickly started to push the rock off of the dumpster, which proved to be a lot more difficult than he'd thought, but after a moment he managed to roll it to the ground.

The heavy lid opened easily compared to pushing the rock, and once it was fully open Blaine saw a pair of glossy blue eyes staring into his. Kurt was hugging his knees to his chest, his shirt covered in dirt and some odd orange color, watching Blaine with a scared expression, as if he was afraid the other boy was going to hit him.

"K-Kurt? What happened?" asked worriedly and offered his hand for Kurt who took it gratefully, but only after a moment of hesitation.

"..I didn't know you were coming", Kurt mumbled after he was out of the dumpster, ignoring Blaine's question and brushing his jeans clean.

Blaine frowned at Kurt and gently took his chin to make the other boy look him in the eyes. Blaine was relieved to see his face had no bruises or cuts on it, and let go of Kurt to stroke his tear-stained cheek softly instead.

"..Have they done this before?"

Kurt turned his eyes to the ground, didn't say anything, but from the look on his face, Blaine knew.

"Kurt, why didn't you tell me?" Blaine asked, his voice cracking miserably. He felt betrayed, but mostly just mad at himself.

He should've done something. He should've known something was up, but he was too busy focusing on how good everything was for him to notice what was going on for Kurt.

"I didn't want to worry you", Kurt admitted and took Blaine's hand that was still on his cheek, pulling it down, but not letting go of it. "You sounded like you were having so much fun at Dalton, you were getting new friends and... I felt like you were forgetting me. Like I didn't matter that much anymore"

Blaine felt his heart stinging at Kurt's words and quickly wrapped his arms around the boy, embracing him gently.

"Kurt, don't you ever think like that again. You're the most important person in this world to me", he muttered against Kurt's shoulder as the other boy placed his hands on his back and pulled him closer.

"Can we go home?" Kurt asked quietly, sounding a lot younger than fifteen.

Blaine slid his hand down Kurt's back soothingly as he let go of him and nodded with a smile. He then took Kurt's hand in his, lacing their fingers together in a way that made Kurt's heart do a little jump in his chest and pulled him out of the school area with him.

* * *

"Why do they do this? Just because you're gay?", Blaine asked.

The two of them were lying on Kurt's bed, Blaine's chest pressed tightly against Kurt's back as his hands were wrapped tightly around the boy's waist. Kurt was squeezing his pillow against his chest to lay his head on it as he shrugged.

"Yeah, I guess. They don't want me 'spreading my fairy dust around'. That's usually the wording they use", Kurt answered tiredly and rubbed his eyes before letting out a humorless laugh. "Well this time I kind of brought it on myself"

"Why?"

"I was sick of it", Kurt told bitterly. "What right do they have to ruin my sleep and torture me just because I happen to differ from them? It's not right. Not towards me, or anyone else who they are bullying. So, I confronted them today. They were making fun of me when they were walking behind me and I don't know.. I just snapped"

"...You'll tell me if they ever bother you again, right?" Blaine mumbled against the back of Kurt's neck, while the other boy nodded.

"I just wish you could come to Dalton too", he said quietly after a moment of silence.

"Blaine, you know that's not-"

"I know. I just want you to be safe", Blaine said, tightening his hold on Kurt protectively.

Kurt bit his lip to not to grin uncontrollably at Blaine's words and buried his face in his pillow shyly. He felt Blaine's chest trembling against his back as the slightly younger boy chuckled.

"You're adorable", Blaine muttered and Kurt felt a small blush rise to his cheeks.

"Oh, yeah? Well you're not too bad yourself with your new dapper attire", Kurt teased and poked the Dalton crest on Blaine's chest playfully, earning a mock pout from the boy.

* * *

_One year later_

"Dude, impulse control!"

Kurt stared in amazement as Finn Hudson -as in _the Finn Hudson_- scolded his best friend Noah Puckerman for shoving Kurt, and turned to give him a small smile after.

In that moment, Kurt felt like his heart could burst with all the emotions he was feeling. A boy from William McKinley High had acknowledged his existence, without giving him a slushie facial or tossing him into a dumpster. He could merely stare after the two boys and lean his head against the locker dreamily.

* * *

"What's this?" Blaine asked and lifted the notebook he had picked up from between the pages of Kurt's math book.

Kurt stared at the object in horror while Blaine merely looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Give it back, that's private!" Kurt finally managed to get out and Blaine threw the notebook to him, lifting his hands up in surrender.

"I didn't mean to pry or anything... But, uh- Had you written 'Kurt Hudson' inside it? As in, Finn Hudson? That guy in your glee club"

Kurt lifted his chin up in defense and pushed the notebook back into his satchel which was lying next to him on the floor, where him and Blaine were doing their homework together.

"And what if I had?" he asked defiantly, "It's none of your business"

"I know, but... Doesn't he have a pregnant girlfriend?" Blaine asked tentatively, trying to ignore the cold stab of jealousy in his chest.

"It's not even his. And why do you care?" Kurt snapped and closed his book with a loud bang. "You're just in your happy little safe heaven, with tons of guys like you, who'd be thrilled to be your boyfriend! You have no idea what it's like for me, so just shut up!" Kurt yelled.

Both of their eyes widened in shock and Kurt quickly lifted his hand in front of his mouth as if to keep himself from going with his word vomit. Blaine stared at him, slight look of hurt creeping on to his face as Kurt shook his head slowly.

"Blaine.. I-I have no idea where that came from, I never yell. I'm so sorry"

"It's- it's okay", Blaine assured, still a little surprised, and scooted closer to the other boy to place his hand on Kurt's shoulder reassuringly.

"Did something happen at school today?"

Kurt shrugged. "Nothing out of the ordinary. I just got slushied again"

Blaine couldn't help the worried frown that rose to his face.

"Kurt you really should talk to your dad and-"

"No. He's busy with Carole and besides, he's already had enough trouble because of his faggot of a son-"

"Kurt, listen to yourself!" Blaine nearly shouted, causing Kurt to look up at him in surprise. "You're not like this. You're proud of yourself. You stand tall no matter what people say. You apologize to no one. That's the Kurt Hummel I lov- know"

The corners of Kurt's mouth twitched a little and Blaine knew he had almost reached his goal of 'Happy Kurt'.

"And, you beat your biggest bully -who was two years older than you- at soccer when you were eight"

"You remember that?" Kurt asked and chuckled lightly.

"Yeah, I do", Blaine said with a smile and pulled Kurt in to give him a hug.

Kurt wrapped his arms around Blaine and thanked him quietly, which Blaine returned by stroking his back gently.

"You're perfect, Kurt. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise"

* * *

"Hey, Blaine!" Trent greeted him with a big smile when he stepped into the dorm kitchen and dropped his schoolbag on the floor with a quiet thud.

"How was your date?"

"Again, it was _not a date_", Blaine groaned and hopped to sit on the counter next to the stove where Trent was cooking.

The kitchen was definitely Blaine's favorite room in the dorm building. Sure, his and Trent's room was amazingly decorated and roomy like everyone else's, but the old-fashioned kitchen definitely took the price with its dark wooden cabins and stone floor, and a small fireplace in the corner, which some boys used to roast marshmallows every once in a while.

"Ask him if Kurt was wearing that... What was it? 'Amazing, hot, gorgeous cheerleading uniform' again!" came Jeff's voice from the common room, accompanied by chuckling from the other boys.

Blaine rolled his eyes, though his cheeks were flushed red.

"Well, was he though?" Trent asked and lifted his arm to shield himself from the piece of chicken Blaine threw at him.

"No. He wasn't, since you're so interested", Blaine mumbled and snatched another piece from the pan to throw into his mouth.

Blaine chewed the piece of chicken as he thought about Kurt's newfound liking to jocks. He had really started thinking he could have a shot with him.

Trent eyed the thoughtful look on Blaine's face worriedly and snapped his fingers in front of the boy's face to get his attention.

"Did something happen?"

Blaine flashed an easy smile and shook his head. "Not really, no. I'm just tired"

Trent gave Blaine a skeptical look before turning back to his work, but smirked when Blaine let out a small sigh.

"Well, what was it?"

".. He has a crush. On the quarterback of their football team. A very tall, handsome quarterback with normal hair"

Trent chuckled as he added shrimps on the pan with the chicken and peeked into the rice kettle.

"So, you're jealous?"

"What? No. Pfft. Why would- why would I be- Yeah, I really am, am I?"

Trent couldn't help but to laugh out loud, but it was interrupted by a yelp when Blaine kicked his side with a pout on his face.

"Thanks a lot, man. I really appreciate you laughing at my pain", Blaine said sarcastically just when Nick and Jeff ran into the room.

"We heard laughter, what did he do this time?" the question was aimed at Trent and Blaine stared at his friends with his mouth hanging open.

"Seriously?" he asked, "Don't any of you have anything better to do than tease me?"

"Nope"  
"Not really"  
"I'm just cooking"

Blaine huffed and jumped off the counter to go his room, but the dreadful duo, also known as Jeff and Nick, were quick to latch on to his legs like little children.

"Please, Blainey, we're sorry!" Jeff cried.

"Yeah, we just want to know what happened with Kurt, please?" Nick chimed in.

"No", Blaine said shortly and tried to wiggle himself free from the boys' grasps.

"Kurt has a crush on a quarterback and Blaine's jealous", Trent supplied and the two boys immediately let go of Blaine to scramble on their feet.

"Oh my god!"  
"Where does he live? We can totally TP his house for you"

"Thanks, but no thanks. It's fine, Kurt can like whoever he wants. It's none of my business", Blaine said calmly and walked out of the kitchen ignoring the two boys running after him.

"But you liked him first!" Jeff whined and Nick nodded furiously beside him.

"Jesus, guys! You're more upset with this than I am!" Blaine laughed disbelievingly as he walked to the end of the third floor corridor, where his and Trent's room was. He unlocked the door and went to slip inside quickly so Nick and Jeff couldn't follow after him.

Blaine sighed and leaned against the door when he got inside, running his hands through his hair tiredly. A nice, long, hot shower would really do some good right now. He opened his eyes and stepped away from the door, but immediately flew back against it and let out a surprised scream.

"How the hell did you do that?!" he screamed at the two boys who were already sitting on the edge of Blaine's bed, eyeing him sweetly.

"If we'd tell you, we'd have to kill you", Nick said matter-of-factly and Jeff nodded seriously beside him.

A knock came from the door and Blaine groaned inwardly before opening it.

"Excuse me, coming through!" Wes shouted as he quickly brushed past Blaine, holding a full bowl of popcorn over his head.

David followed after, carrying two six-packs of coke cans and Trent came in after, holding two bowls. The other was filled with chicken and shrimps in some sauce and the other with noodles.

Blaine stared at them while they walked over to Trent's bed and laid all of their goods on it, before pushing it together with Blaine's bed.

"Guys? What's going on?"

Wes turned to smile at Blaine before hopping on the bed and picking up a coke.

"We're having a movie night!" he announced as Jeff and Nick cheered loudly.

"Why?" Blaine asked, squinting his eyes suspiciously as he walked over to them.

"Well, mainly because we haven't have one in forever. But none of us wants to listen to you sing your heart out with _All by myself, _either", David said and flopped down next to his friend.

Jeff and Nick were already going through the boxes in which Blaine and Trent kept their own movies, debating what to watch and Trent was pouting at Blaine, begging with his eyes for him to not to throw them out.

"Okay, fine", Blaine mumbled, a small smile playing on his lips. "But, in my defense, that _All by myself-_thing; it happened only once. And I was watching Bridget Jones", he added and sat down next to Trent, who handed him a plastic plate and a coke.

"We'll watch Harry Potter, right?" Nick asked from the others with a pout, which fell off quickly when Jeff hit him on the head with a pillow.

"No way, we watched Potter last time, you crazy Potterhead! Today we should definitely watch Star Wars, don't you think?"

Jeff's suggestion received a lot of screaming on Nick's behalf as Wes attempted to shut them both of by throwing popcorn at them.

"Guys!" Trent suddenly shouted, smiling in triumph as everyone turned to him in total silence. "What if we let Blaine decide this time?"

Blaine smiled at him as everyone nodded or mumbled in agreement, though Nick and Jeff kept throwing nasty looks at each other. Blaine placed his finger on his chin thoughtfully and grinned after a moment.

"I want to watch Moulin Rouge", he said and settled against the comfortable pillows.

"..Why do I get the feeling there's some sort of a sappy Kurt-involved story behind this?" Jeff whispered to Nick, loud enough for everyone to hear.

* * *

Eventually the boys got to the movie, but they were only on _Your song,_ when Blaine's phone rang, playing _Defying gravity _rather loudly_._

"It's Kurt, I have to pick up", Blaine mumbled apologetically without even glancing at the screen, and fled to the window that led to the fire escape, ignoring Nick's mutter. _"A personalized ringtone? We don't_ _have_ _one"_

Blaine lifted the phone on his ear as he leaned against the wall and watched over the green to the lake that was glistening in the moonlight.

"Hi, Kurt, what's up?"

His question was only answered by quiet sniffling, and the smile on his face fell to a frown.

"Kurt? What's wrong?"

_"I was so stupid, Blaine",_ Kurt finally managed to say.

"What are you talking about?"

_"Finn. He's just a jerk like everyone else",_ Kurt huffed and swallowed loudly. _"It was so stupid of me. I actually thought he was different"_

Blaine suddenly had the urge to run to Lima and kick Finn Hudson's ass. Okay, the guy was a freaking giant, but if anyone disappointed Kurt and made him sound like that they most definitely deserved to get punched.

"What happened?"

_"Well,um.. You remember how I told you about Carole and Finn moving in?"_

"Yeah"

_"That's why my room was re-decorated. Me and Finn have been kinda sharing my room for a while"_

"Oh"

_"And.. today he just started yelling at me. And, he used the word 'faggy'"_

Blaine could almost physically feel the anger inside of him. His friends eyed his distressed face from the bed and through the window, but everyone stayed put.

"Was your dad there?" Blaine asked as his fists squeezed the railing tight enough for his knuckles to turn white.

_"He was"_, Kurt said, his voice sounding a bit happier. _"He defended me and kicked Finn out"_

"Well, that's good", Blaine said and kicked the grid under him with the tip of his foot.

_"Yeah so, any ideas what song is the best to sing if you want to say 'fuck you' kindly?"_

Blaine couldn't help but to chuckle at Kurt's tone.

"Well, you seem to be getting over him quickly"

_"I guess you just have that affect on me", _Kurt sing-songed and Blaine grinned widely.

* * *

"What did he say?"

Blaine ignored the question and went to sit on back on the bed, un-pausing the movie and pulling the bowl of popcorn to himself.

"Oh god, it was something good, I can tell", David mumbled and smiled widely at the dreamy look on Blaine's face.

"What? What happened? Please, Blaine the suspense is killing us", Nick begged.

Blaine bit his lip, but eventually he couldn't contain his grin anymore.

"He said he wishes he could have someone like me as a boyfriend"

* * *

**A/N: is that friend-zoning or not? guess you'll have to find out... **


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Sooo... how many of you saw "I do", then proceeded to die and go to heaven? Because I sure did! But I have returned from the death with this new chapter! (And yes, the song used in this chapter hadn't actually come out yet at the time Kurt's singing this, but shh, bear with me)**

* * *

"So, only a week left", Blaine said and took a sip from his medium drip. "What do you have planned?"

Kurt shrugged and spun his empty cup on the table. The Lima Bean was nearly empty on the August afternoon, only a bored summer employee was inside with the two boys, fanning herself with a magazine.

"I guess I'll just go shopping with Mercedes, finally read those books that have been lying around..", Kurt answered, shrugging again. "Of course, if you want to, I can hang out with you when you come back from Columbus?"

"Yeah, sure! That'd be great"

"Good"

Both smiled at each other over the table, a little too long and private to seem just friends. They turned their eyes away and grinned at their cups. The door opened with a small tinkle from the bell above it.

"Oh, hi Blaine!"

Blaine turned around in his seat as Kurt leaned on his seat to see who had spoken. He immediately recognized the boys as Wes and David from the descriptions Blaine had given on all of his friends and returned their smiles politely. He mentally complimented the two boys on their successful choice of clothes, which looked rather expensive despite their casualness.

"Hi, guys!" Blaine greeted them and motioned for them to sit down.

The boys pulled chairs out of the table next to theirs and sat Wes next to Kurt and David next to Blaine, both eyeing Kurt in a way that made Kurt think he'd missed some private joke.

"You must be Kurt", Wes began and offered his hand for Kurt to shake.

Kurt shook the hand and smiled. "Yes, and you're Wes and David, right?" he said as he pointed each boy when mentioning their name.

"Yes, we are. It's good to finally meet you", David said politely, but then a funny look came into his eyes and he added, "We can now definitely see what the fuss is about", before winking at Blaine, whose face was reddening quickly.

"…Thanks?" Kurt squinted his eyes in confusion but gave the boy a small smile and glanced at Blaine, who was hiding his face behind his hands in mortification.

"So, Kurt", Wes started, placing his elbows on the table and leaning on his hands, "Do you think you could persuade Blaine to come to our party with you on Saturday?"

"What party?" Kurt asked curiously.

Blaine cleared his throat, making everyone turn their eyes on him, as tried to look presentable again while he threw Wes an annoyed look.

"I'm sure Kurt wouldn't be interested-"

"No, seriously what party?" Kurt asked again and David hurried to answer before Blaine could stop him.

"It's an annual thing. Before the school starts each year, everyone except for freshmen gather into one of the students' houses and sort of celebrate the start of a new year. It's not mandatory, but most people like to come. And it's not only for the people at Dalton, anyone can get invited"

"Sounds like fun", Kurt said with a grin and turned to Blaine with a pout. "You don't want me to meet your other friends?"

"No, it's- yes, I do, but.. I had this...", Blaine didn't seem to get his words out and he groaned in frustration before banging his head against the table.

The others watched in amusement as Blaine rested his forehead against the table surface, and muttered something quietly to himself. Kurt chuckled as turned his head to glance at the clock on the wall and his eyes widened.

"Blaine, my shift starts soon!" he said and quickly got up from the chair and grabbed his satchel. "I have to go use the bathroom, but be ready to leave when I come back, okay?"

" 'kay", came Blaine's muffled reply, and Kurt smiled politely at Wes and David before walking off.

"Why did you tell him about the party?" Blaine asked as he straightened back up. "Now we have to go, or he's going to think I don't want to introduce him to everyone at Dalton. Then he's going to come up with some weird theory that I'm ashamed of him and.. I hate you!"

"Well, then _why don't_ you want to bring him there?" David asked in confusion.

"Because I had a date planned, okay!" Blaine nearly shouted in annoyance. "Things between us haven't changed one bit, so I finally decided to suck it up and just take him out"

"Wow, congratulations!" Wes said cheerfully and patted Blaine on the back.

"Well, it doesn't matter now, does it. We'll have to go to that stupid party", Blaine muttered before his voice grew louder and he continued, "And I remember last year! If there was guys hitting on _me,_ then Kurt's not going to be alone the entire night"

"Well, I must admit", Wes said and eyed the direction in which Kurt had disappeared, "Kurt is in fact quite a catch"

Blaine groaned again just when the door that led to the bathrooms opened and Kurt jogged to them.

"Bye guys, it was nice meeting you. We'll have to talk more soon", he said sweetly before turning to his friend. "Blaine hurry up, if I'm late again dad will literally murder me!"

Kurt grabbed Blaine by the wrist and half dragged him out of the coffee shop, leaving a grinning pair of Wes and David waving after them.

* * *

Blaine stared at Kurt. He knew it was even more creepy than usually, since Kurt was only wearing an impossibly tight pair of black jeans and his hair was still messy, but how was he supposed to not do it?

He wondered if Kurt had been working out, or had his minor growth spurt made him even more slender. But he was most definitely not bony-type of skinny, Blaine could see strong muscles flexing under Kurt's skin as he threw a shirt after another on his bed.

"-Blaine. Are you even listening to me!"

"Huh?"

Kurt huffed and threw a t-shirt he'd been holding towards Blaine's face.

"I said; I have no idea what to wear with these jeans, so help would be appreciated"

Blaine sighed and got off Kurt's bed. "Maybe you could just go shirtless"

"What?"

"What?"

"Did you just say-?"

"No, I didn't say anything", Blaine said quickly and walked into Kurt's closet, trying to ignore Kurt's confused stare.

He kneeled in front of the shelves that held all of Kurt's shoes and eyed the pairs.

"What were you thinking? Casual, but not too casual?"

"Yeah", Kurt shouted from where he was staring at the shirts on his bed with a frown. "Could you bring me the black and red Alexander McQueen scarf? It's hanging on the rack"

Blaine looked around and reached from the floor to pull the scarf back from its place, before grabbing Kurt's black and white Doc Martens with him and walking back to the room.

Kurt had already put on a tight white shirt with sleeves that ended just under his elbow, and he reached his arms out for Blaine to grab the shoes and scarf from him.

"Thank you", he muttered before walking over to the dresser that was placed next to his bed.

"Your dad let you finally have that from the attic?" Blaine asked and pointed at the piece of furniture, that had formerly belonged to Elizabeth.

"Yeah", Kurt said with a smile and ran his fingers over the surface of the dresser, before grabbing his hairspray and brush.

"This might take a moment", he warned, but Blaine jumped on the bed placing his hands behind his head.

"No rush"

Kurt started by brushing his hair, while Blaine looked at him through the mirror both flashing smiles at each other when their eyes met.

"Well, did you have fun in Columbus?" Kurt asked as he picked up one of his many bottles of moisturizer and squeezed some on his hand before starting to rub it gently on his cheeks.

"It was okay, I think. Well, Granddad got drunk and started yelling at me. Something about not being able to continue the line of the Andersons"

"So, uh, he's still not okay with you being gay?"

"He fakes smiles and tries to hold a more than three word conversation for me", Blaine said with a shrug, "It's better now. And at least grandma forces him to behave"

Kurt nodded in understanding and took some hair-styling wax, brushing his fingers through his hair, making it look messy, but in a _very _good way. At least in Blaine's opinion.

"Okay, I think... We're all set now!" Kurt said with and excited grin after he'd added the hairspray and put his shoes on.

Blaine looked Kurt up and down in appreciation as he stood in front of him and put his scarf on.

"You look great"

"Are there times when I don't?" Kurt asked teasingly and brushed past Blaine to the stairs.

"There really isn't", Blaine answered under his breath before running after his friend.

* * *

The music was already thumping loudly when Blaine turned to Nick's driveway with Kurt bouncing excitedly on the passenger seat. Many cars were already parked, some even on the grass, but the house looked nearly like a mansion and there was definitely room for more around it. There had to be at least three miles to the closest neighbor anyway.

"Where are his parents?" Kurt asked as Blaine pulled his keys out of the ignition and they both climbed out of the car.

"They aren't really home that often. They come here like, once in two months or something. Nick's mother stays home from May to the end June on summers, says she doesn't want him to be alone all the time"

Kurt nodded with wide eyes. Maybe there was some downsides to being rich enough to afford kick-ass education.

The two of them walked to the door, not bothering to knock before walking in. It's not like anyone would've heard them.

The house looked pretty empty when they walked in, and Blaine frowned as he craned his neck to see through the living room window that showed the backyard. Meanwhile, Kurt was busy gaping at the size of the entrance hall that led to the living room. All the creamy colors, freaking marble floor and an actual chandelier? He felt like he'd stepped into a palace.

"Kurt, everyone's outside!" Blaine shouted as Kurt jumped in surprise. He hadn't even realized Blaine had left his side.

"I'm coming", he muttered before giving one last look to the room and walking over to Blaine, who was holding open the glass door that led outside.

"Kurtsie!"

Kurt barely had the time to register that a boy was practically flying towards him, before the said boy was already hanging on his neck.

"I'm Jeff, and we're going to be the bestest of friends!"

Kurt glanced at Blaine hopelessly, who seemed to be awfully amused by the scene in front of him.

"Well, that's nice, Jeff, but could you maybe let go of me now?"

The boy pulled away with a pout, his blonde hair hanging over his eyes.

"What's the matter, Kurtsie? Don't you like huggie wuggies?"

"Well, not with strangers", Kurt muttered, but smiled at the boy.

"Then we'll just have to get to know each other!" Jeff exclaimed and grabbed Kurt by his elbow, dragging him over to a dark haired boy, who immediately introduced himself as Nick in the same manner Jeff had done.

Kurt turned his head around to stare at Blaine and mouth _"Are they always like this?", _which Blaine answered by nodding with a wide grin.

* * *

After Kurt managed to escape from the two boys many questions later -which included _"What's your favorite color?", "Which one of us is more good-looking?" _and _"Have you ever owned a care bear?"- _Kurt sneaked off to the small bar Nick's parents had next to their pool house. Yes, they even had a pool. And a pool house. God, it was like _O.C._

He sat down on one of the stools next to a small boy, who seemed to be wearing ear plugs and was holding a book in front of him. Kurt tapped the boy on the shoulder with a frown on his face, making the boy nearly fall off his stool and his glasses slide off his nose.

Kurt made a gesture of pulling something out of his ears and the boy quickly mimicked him and took the plugs off.

"Can I help you?" the boy asked with a small voice Kurt barely heard over the music.

"Why were you wearing those?"

"Oh, Jeff and Nick came to my house and dragged me here by force", the boy said with a shrug. "I'm not much of a party person, and the music is like, _really loud_", he added and pushed the glasses up on his nose.

Kurt's mouth curled into a smile when he realized who the boy was.

"You're Jonathan, right?" he said and smiled widely at the boy who nodded, "Blaine did mention that you're reading all the time and sorta look like Reid from _Criminal minds_, except shorter"

Jonathan seemed a bit taken aback by Kurt's words, but he shyly returned the smile.

"So, that means, you're Kurt. Blaine talks about you all the time"

"He does?" Kurt asked with a raised brow as Jonathan's eyes widened and he hurried to correct himself.

"I-I was exaggerating. Not all the time. Barely mentions you. I've never actually heard that much about you. We should talk, so I'd know something about you. Where do you live?"

Kurt blinked at Jonathan, whose chest was rising and falling rapidly in the time of his short breaths, and reached his arm out to gently squeeze the shorter boy's shoulder.

"Well, I live in Lima", Kurt started, smiling sweetly at Jonathan, "and I go to McKinley High. Calm down, we can talk"

Jonathan sighed in relief and smiled apologetically at Kurt.

"I'm sorry. I'm kind of socially awkward person to be around"

"Naw, it's okay", Kurt said and waved his hand dismissively. "It's not like I could've handled another Nick or Jeff anyway"

Jonathan chuckled at his words before taking a small sip from a water glass that was sitting in front of him on the bar and turning back to Kurt.

"So do you like it there?"

"Where?"

"Your school"

"Oh. My school, well", Kurt started, struggling with his words. "I-I'm in the glee club. That's nice. Everyone's impossibly self-centered and I think they've all had sex with each other one point or another. But yeah, we're kind of the misfits of McKinley"

"You really like them", Jonathan said. It was not a question. It was clear from the smile on Kurt's face that he loved each and every member of the club dearly.

"Yeah", Kurt admitted with a chuckle. "But don't tell them I said that"

"I won't", Jonathan promised with a grin.

"Well you two seem to be getting along!"

Both boys turned to smile at Blaine who walked over to them with a grin.

"Did you have fun with Niff?"

"Niff?" Kurt repeated.

"Nick and Jeff", Blaine explained, "It's their couple name"

"Are they dating?"

"No. At least they claim they're straight", Blaine chuckled as he sat down on the other side of Kurt.

"..I think I'll go now", Jonathan suddenly said and grabbed his book before giving Blaine a suggesting smile and glancing at Kurt before disappearing to the crowd.

Kurt looked after his retreating back, but was suddenly interrupted when a pair of green eyes met his from across the grass.

Kurt stared at the boy who was looking at him. He had a honey blonde short shaggy hair, and he was wearing a bit loose white t-shirt with a black band logo on it, with dark red jeans. He actually looked pretty good.

Kurt smiled a little, and the boy seemed to chuckle before winking.

Kurt blushed and turned back to the bar cupping his own cheek with his hand. He chanced another looks at the boy, who was now engaged in a conversation with someone else.

"Who's that?" he asked.

Blaine turned around to see who Kurt was referring to, and his eyes widened.

"Why do you ask?"

"I-I think he just winked at me"

"That's- uh... Kurt that's not gonna happen"

Kurt turned to Blaine with a frown. "I just said he winked at me. It's not like I'm dreaming about marrying him"

"No, that's not what I.. That's Ethan. Ethan Taylor", Blaine explained, his voice hiding something underneath and making Kurt eye him suspiciously.

"Who's Ethan Taylor, exactly?"

"He's one of the... well, douchebags of Dalton. There's really no other way to say it. He and his friends are probably the richest kids at school, so they think they're better than everyone else. And Ethan's kind of famous for using sweet, innocent empty-headed boys and then dumping them"

"Sweet, innocent, empty-headed boys like me?" Kurt asked, clearly annoyed by Blaine's words.

"No! No, Kurt I didn't mean you", Blaine tried to explain, but Kurt had already hopped out of the stool and was walking towards Ethan with long strides.

"Hey"

Ethan turned to face Kurt with a mild look of surprise on his face that quickly melted to a smirk.

"Well, hello gorgeous", he said, sounding way too cocky for Kurt's liking as his friends chuckled beside him. "What can I do for you?"

"Can you sing?" Kurt asked, crossing his arms over his chest and jutting his hip out in annoyance.

"Can I- What?"

"I'm asking can you sing, Romeo"

Ethan and his friends changed confused looks, before he turned back to Kurt with a frown.

"I- yes?"

"Good", Kurt said and grabbed the front of Ethan's shirt pulling him under the cote, where the stereos were.

"What are you doing?"

"Singing with an assumed asshole, to make my best friend regret calling me innocent and empty-headed and possibly even make him jealous"

"'Assumed asshole?'" Ethan asked disbelievingly. "Why not just an asshole?"

"Well", Kurt started once he had switched the cd and hooked the two wireless microphones Nick had for karaoke, "I don't know you well enough to have an opinion about you, and I know what it's like when people assume stuff"

Ethan seemed a bit dazed by Kurt's words and was just about to open his mouth to say something when Kurt lifted the mic on his lips and began to sing.

_"There he goes, my baby walks so slow, sexual, tic-tac-toe. Yeah, I know we both know it isn't time, but could you be m-mine?"_

Everyone turned their heads to see who was singing when they realized that the voice that came from the speakers wasn't Adam Lambert's. They seemed quite impressed with the kid no one had ever seen before, strutting around with confidence as he sang, poking guys and brushing his hand just a little too low on their chests.

No one seemed to mind though, and that made Blaine huff in annoyance and glare daggers at anyone who stared at Kurt with wide, nearly lustful eyes.

When Kurt reached the chorus he nodded at Ethan as a sign for him to join in.

_"Oh baby, light's on but your mama's not home, I'm sick of laying down alone.. With this fever, fever yeah!"_

_"My one and own", _Ethan sang.

_"I wanna get you alone", _Kurt answered with a pout, making a few catcalls rise from the crowd.

_"Give you my fever, fever yeah!"_

* * *

"You look like an angry kitten, my friend", Wes stated as he slid on the stool next to Blaine handed him a glass of water since Blaine was going to be driving that night.

"Look at him", Blaine spat out as he stared at Ethan who was still getting congratulated with Kurt on their duet. "Acting all smug and cool. He was totally staring at Kurt's butt earlier. That's unacceptable"

"Weren't you staring at Kurt's butt while he was singing?" Wes asked with a small smirk.

"...I don't do it openly like that, and- Oh my god! Did you see that? He just groped him!"

"Blaine, I think he just patted his back. I have to admit, I don't like Ethan either, but so far he's done nothing bad. Just let him be"

Blaine huffed and continued glaring as Kurt finally managed to get away from his admirers and run back to the bar.

"Hi, Wes!" he greeted the other boy, still panting because of the little dance number he did on the table during the song but smiling widely.

"Hi, Kurt. You were amazing, I'm thinking of snatching you to the Warblers"

Kurt laughed and grabbed a cold cider from the other side of the bar counter.

"I think the New Directions might be very reluctant to let me go. I'm not very included in performances, but they need twelve members and finding a new would be a very hard task"

"Well, that's too bad then", Wes chuckled before his eyes suddenly widened.

"Oh my god. David found them! Blaine it's the girls from Crawford Country we met last Christmas!" he nearly screamed before running off.

"Crawford Country?" Kurt repeated in confusion as he sat back down.

"It's Dalton's sister school", Blaine explained, "We had this Christmas concert thing together last year. Wes and David met these two girls, who were playing Super Mario Bros during break. It was love at first sight, but they forgot to ask their numbers after all the talking they did"

Kurt smiled at the boys who were grinning to two equally excited looking girls and talking quietly together.

"They're cute"

"Mmm-mh. So, I saw you had fun with Ethan?"

Kurt let out a disbelieving laughter before turning to smile at Blaine.

"Blaine, he did not suggest a quickie in the backseat of his car. And even if he had, I wouldn't have said yes. I was just annoyed that you think I'd do that. I might've fallen a bit too fast, a bit too deep with Finn, but I'm not like that with every guy"

"I don't think you are, Kurt", Blaine said quietly, "I just- I'm always so worried about you, I can't help it"

"It's okay, but Blaine, I'm a big boy. I can take care of myself, I don't always need you for the lookout, alright?"

"Okay", Blaine agreed.

"Let's play spin the bottle!"

Nick's slightly slurred shout received a lot of enthusiastic claps and shouts, and everyone who wanted to participate started to gather on the side of the pool. The two boys watched them from the bar, Kurt bouncing a bit on his stool.

"Do you want to play?" Kurt asked and Blaine shrugged.

"I don't know... Probably not"

"Why not?"

_Because I'm scared I'll get to kiss you, and I'm scared that I won't._

"I'm just a bit tired, that's all"

"Oh, come on, Blaine!" Kurt whined and blinked adorably, "Please?"

"... Okay, fine"

_This can either be bad, or so,so good._


	13. Chapter 13

The game started when Nick first spun the bottle. For Jonathan's horror -who hadn't even wanted to play in the first place- it landed on him, and Nick began crawling towards him through the big circle of the twenty or so people who were playing.

Their kiss was insanely awkward, with Jonathan trying to pull away with a look of disgust on his face as Nick pushed his tongue inside the other boy's mouth. Once Nick let go of him with a laugh and a garbled apology, it was Jeff's turn to spin.

Kurt and Blaine sat next to each other and watched as people exchanged sloppy kisses in the middle of the circle. They both smirked at each other when David's turn came and he got to kiss one of the girls he and Wes had been talking earlier.

"They seem to be enjoying themselves", Kurt muttered in amusement after David and the girl's kiss had lasted about two minutes and they were trying to stumble their way out of the circle.

Blaine grinned after his friend, but his attention was brought back to the game when someone suddenly shouted that it was his turn.

Blaine eyed the bottle like it held all the answers to every single question ever asked.

_Okay, this is it,_ he thought and gave it a strong spin.

Blaine stared as the bottle just kept spinning. It felt like eternity until it started slowing down and finally stopped. On Kurt.

For a second Blaine's head cleared from all thoughts except, _Oh my god, how is this possible?_

He then swallowed the lump in his throat and turned to Kurt with a hesitant smile. Blaine lifted his hand to cup his friend's cheek gently, as he locked eyes with him, silently asking if this was okay. Kurt made a small nod, and bit his lip before they were both leaning forward.

Blaine's heart thumped in his ears and he was completely blind to anything but Kurt. They kept their eye contact until they were close enough to feel each other's breaths on their faces. Eyes started to slide shut as they both parted their lips in expectation, tilting their heads to the side...

* * *

"I'm so sorry, Kurt", Nick apologized again, he didn't look at the boy as he said it though. He was far more concerned because of Blaine, who was sitting a few feet away from them on the kitchen counter, glaring Nick almost like he was ready to kill.

"It's okay, really", Kurt assured as he wiped the purplish punch off of his shirt with a paper towel. "These things happen, and I can't really be mad at an adorable drunk"

"I can pay for the cleaning-"

"No, Nick. Seriously, this is not an expensive shirt", Kurt said with a smile. "I can take care of it myself. You just go back to having fun, okay?"

Nick left the room with another mumbled apology and a look towards Blaine, who jumped off the counter once he was gone and went to help Kurt with his shirt.

"I was expecting for you to rip his arms off", Blaine chuckled lightly, "You're not usually okay with people ruining your clothes"

"Well, this really isn't anything expensive", Kurt said with a shrug and threw the paper into the waste basket, before checking the time from the digital clock on the oven.

"We should probably get going soon if you want to take me back before curfew. And I really don't want to spend anymore time wearing a sticky purple shirt"

Blaine nodded and helped Kurt down from the counter -not that he would've needed any help- before they went to say their goodbyes to everyone.

* * *

"So did you have any fun?" Blaine asked when the two of them were seated in Blaine's car, driving towards Lima.

"I did, actually", Kurt answered with a smile. "Everyone was great. Especially Nick and Jeff. They really are.. something", he said when he came up with nothing else to describe the two boys with.

"That they really are", Blaine agreed with a laugh. "And you really killed it with _Fever,_ I think you might've changed every guy in the party gay for a minute"

Kurt blushed and let out an embarrassed whine.

"I have never sung anything like that, oh my god! Can I use the drunk excuse?"

"I'm pretty sure you hadn't drank anything else but the wine cooler Jeff gave you, so no", Blaine answered and grinned as Kurt hung his head in shame.

"Oh c'mon! You have no reason to be embarrassed!" Blaine chuckled and squeezed Kurt's shoulder softly before returning his hand to the wheel. "You were great, there's nothing wrong wanting to sing something different from show tunes. Really, there's only so many times I can listen you sing _Some people_"

Kurt shrieked in feigned shock and hit Blaine on the shoulder. Then the song on the radio changed and he halted mid action to clap excitedly.

_"Well you done, done me, you bet I felt it. I tried to be chill but you're so hot that I melted", _Kurt sang and then turned to his friend with laugh. "C'mon Blaine, when's the last time we sang together?"

Blaine grinned, before giving Kurt a quick look and turning back to the road.

_"Before the cool done run out, I'll be giving it my bestest, and nothing's going to stop me but divine intervention. I reckon it's again my turn, to win some or learn some", _he sang as Kurt joined him to the chorus.

_"I'm yours", _they sang, both giving the other a shy glance.

They sang the rest of the song together throwing wide smiles and happy looks at each other, before they were both nearly shaking with laughter.

"We still sound awesome together", Kurt commented and leaned back against the car seat, stifling a yawn against the back of his hand.

"Tired?"

"Mm-mh. Do you mind if I sleep?"

"Not at all. I'll wake you up when we're there"

Kurt merely hummed in agreement, before pulling his feet up on the seat and wrapping his arms around his knees as he leaned his head against them.

Blaine lowered the volume of the radio and changed it to a country station, which was mostly playing soft love songs at night. They drove for a while until Kurt's breathing turned slower and heavier, his head slumping against his knees.

Blaine eyed him fondly before turning bad to the road, humming under his breath along with the song taht was playing.

He was still very pissed at Nick for choosing the absolute worst moment to start running around with his punch filled cup in his drunken state, and interrupting his and Kurt's almost kiss, but the feeling had started to fade a little. Sitting with Kurt talking, and singing kind of had that calming effect on him.

* * *

"-urt. Wake up, Kurt"

" 'ive more minutes", Kurt mumbled sleepily and lifted his hands to shield his face from Blaine, who chuckled at his friend's adorableness and unbuckled his seat belt for him.

"C'mon, sleepyhead", Blaine cooed and slid his arms around Kurt, lifting him up in bridal style.

"..How can you still be able to carry me?" Kurt mumbled as he wrapped his arms around Blaine's neck.

"I told you, I started boxing. I'm going to turn to a bodybuilder soon"

"Oh god, please don't", Kurt muttered against Blaine's neck, making the other boy laugh quietly. "Those people are just disgusting"

"Okay, I'm not gonna carry you up the stairs, so do you mind hopping off now?"

Kurt nodded tiredly and let go of Blaine, letting his feet back on the ground. He stood in front of the steps that led to the front door, smiling at Blaine, not wanting to go in just yet.

"I had a lot of fun", Kurt said and grinned at Blaine. "I won't ever understand how you manage to cope with Nick and Jeff, but I'm glad you have friends like them at Dalton"

"Yeah, well.. I had a lot of practice with you", Blaine chuckled and let out a small yelp when Kurt swatted his arm.

"Thanks a lot"

"No problem", Blaine teased cheekily.

Silence fell over the pair of them and they smiled awkwardly at each other.

"I should probably-", Kurt said and motioned towards the door with his thumb as Blaine nodded.

"Yeah, um. Goodnight"

"Goodnight"

Kurt climbed up the steps to the door and Blaine turned to walk back to his car, but was halted when Kurt shouted after him.

"Blaine, wait!"

Blaine turned around, was surprised to be faced with Kurt who was standing mere inches away from him. Blaine looked at him questioningly, but suddenly Kurt leaned forward and pressed his lips right to the corner of Blaine's mouth.

Blaine froze in surprise his every nerve tingling with something hot and pleasant, but then the touch was gone, far too quickly for his liking. He blinked at Kurt, trying to clear his head before he trusted his mouth enough to speak.

"What -"

"That spin the bottle kiss", Kurt explained with a shrug. "We never got to finish it"

Blaine's mouth opened and closed as he tried to think what he should say and Kurt laughed at the expression on his face.

"Goodnight, Blaine", he said softly and patted his friend's arm soothingly before walking inside.

* * *

"You kissed him?!"

Kurt rubbed his ears with a grimace on his face as Rachel and Mercedes stared at him in shock. The two of them had come over for a sleepover and after few hours of makeovers and eating while watching movies, Kurt had finally told them everything about the party.

"Barely. Our lips didn't even really touch", Kurt said dismissively and took a bite from pizza they had ordered earlier.

"Oh my god!" Rachel screeched again, making Mercedes push her hand over the other girl's mouth in annoyance.

"You better tell us everything, Kurt or I will not be responsible for my actions", she threatened, but with a wide smile on her face.

"That's pretty much it. He spun the bottle, it landed on me, Nick spilled his drink, I kissed Blaine after he drove me home. Not that big of a deal"

"Well?" Rachel asked expectantly .

"Well what?"

"How was it? Did you hear any violins, see fireworks?" the girl asked with a distant, dreamy look on her face.

"Honestly Rachel, you've got to stop reading those romance novels", Kurt said with a roll of his eyes and threw a piece of pepperoni towards her.

He then went back to eating, ignoring the two girls who kept looking at him, waiting for him to speak. Eventually he sighed in defeat.

"It was short, okay? But- okay, yes, it felt amazing. It felt right", Kurt told, a small happy smile playing on his lips.

The girls aaw'd, Rachel placing her hands over her heart as Mercedes smiled at Kurt.

"So what's next, do you want to date him?" she asked excitedly as Rachel leaned forward in her seat on the bed beside her.

"..I don't know...", Kurt said reluctantly. "I mean, from what I've gathered from teen relationships, they rarely last. And I care Blaine enough to not want to lose him as a friend"

"You can't really base your information on McKinley's relationships", Mercedes said matter-of-factly and gave Kurt a pointed look. "I mean, these people change their relationships status more often their undies"

Kurt giggled with Mercedes at her words as Rachel cleared her throat to demand attention.

"While I partially agree with your comment, Mercedes, I've got to say that not every teen couple is destined to break up. Like, me and Finn for instance-"

"Here we go"

"We've been already talking about our future and I must say that-"

"Rachel, please", Mercedes interrupted, "As much as we love to hear about you and your 'Finny-bear', I think Kurt needs our attention more"

"My apologies. So what I meant to say was, that you won't know how it goes until you try"

"But, I just-", Kurt tried to explain, but ended up just huffing in frustration when he couldn't for his thoughts into words.

"I think, that", he started again, "maybe I should wait a little. I mean, how can I be sure that I actually like Blaine. As in _like, like. _Maybe it's just that, we've been friends for so long and... Do you understand what I'm trying to say?"

"You're worried that your brotherly-love for Blaine, that you've felt for years, is drowning out everything else you feel for him, thus making it hard for you to know what to do in this situation?" Rachel suggested, changing a quick look with Mercedes who nodded at her words in agreement.

"Yes!" Kurt exclaimed, causing Burt to shout something about keeping it down from upstairs.

"Well, then you should just take your time", Mercedes said encouragingly. "No one is forcing you to make a decision now. You can just wait, till you're sure what you want to do"

Kurt nodded and bit his lip. Yes, that's what he should do. Take his time to see how things between him and Blaine are, and not to rush anything.

"Well, um, how about Blaine?" Rachel asked tentatively as she slid to lay on her stomach. "Do you have any idea about his feelings?"

The girl had been very careful to not to mention Blaine's past crush on Kurt, since she had no idea what the boy's feelings were nowadays. Rachel had spoken to him only on few occasions when he was visiting Kurt, and those conversations were limited to questions about school and family. She kind of missed him.

"I don't really know", Kurt muttered, a thoughtful look on his face. "I mean, some days, I really think that there might be something going on between the two of us. Sometimes he acts almost flirty, but I don't know", he finished lamely, "he's always been like that. That's just how Blaine acts"

Mercedes and Rachel both quieted, their eyebrows scrunched as they watched Kurt's expression get slightly sadder with every passing second. He kept fidgeting with the hem of his t-shirt while worrying his bottom lip between his teeth.

"So, uh, _Devil wears Prada_?", Rachel finally suggested with an overly wide smile on her face as she lifted the DVD up.

"Yes, please", Kurt mumbled with a small voice and smiled gratefully at the girls.

* * *

"He said what?!"

Nick and Jeff's disbelieving scream echoed in Dalton's big cafeteria, causing many heads to turn in the direction of their table and eye them in annoyance.

"It was just a kiss between friends and he hopes that it doesn't make things awkward between us", Blaine repeated with a shrug and continued with his history homework that was lying on the table in front of him and Jonathan.

"He did not! He couldn't have! That's- that's wrong!"

"You've always had such a way with your words, Jeff", Wes muttered in amusement as David chuckled beside him.

"How can you be so calm?" Nick asked, aghast of Blaine's calm demeanor.

"Well, it's done now", Blaine answered absently as he paged through his book while Jonathan read through his notes and made small corrections. "I mean, I wanted to find out how Kurt feels and now I know. We're just friends"

Jeff and Nick eyed Blaine disbelievingly and exchanged a doubtful look.

"You aren't sad? Disappointed?"

"Anything at all?"

"... I'm not the biggest fan of this situation, but I can definitely live with it", Blaine said and smiled at his friends to assure them he was fine. "Besides, no one is going to grow old with the person they have a crush on in high school anyway"

"But, you're in love with him!" Jeff almost screamed again.

"Yes!" Nick agreed, "This is not some crush, you've been head over heels with him for as long as we've known you!"

"Guys, calm down. It's not that big of a deal, at least we're still friends", Blaine chuckled as he packed his things and accepted the notebook Jonathan was holding out for him before getting up. "And now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to get my_ friend_, so we can have a nice, platonic movie night together"

Blaine walked off, leaving his friends to sit in the table and watch after him in various states of amusement and disbelief.

"...Ten bucks says they'll get together before the year ends", David announced, and soon everyone was placing their bets and debating about the fate of Kurt and Blaine's relationship.

* * *

Blaine parked his car and walked through the courtyard, waving at the few kids he recognized as Kurt's friends from glee club as he made his way inside. He walked through the hallways, ignoring the few funny looks he received that were most likely due to his uniform, and stopped in front of Kurt's locker.

He waited. And waited. After ten minutes of waiting, Blaine was starting to get really worried, and there was an unsettling feeling in his gut, telling him that something was definitely wrong. As the bell rang, and the student's who'd been outside came back in for their next class, Blaine quickly grabbed the first glee member he spotted.

"Who- oh, hi Blaine!" Finn greeted and grinned goofily at the shorter boy. "Almost didn't see you there, you're like really-"

"Short, I know", Blaine interrupted, not really on the mood for chatting with the boy any longer than necessary . "I was supposed to pick Kurt up and wait by his locker, but I haven't seen him. Do you know where he is?"

Finn's eyebrows knitted together as a worried frown rose on his face. "No, dude, I- Hey Santana! You know where Kurt is?"

The black-haired girl who Finn had called, turned her head and gave Blaine an appreciating look before looking back at Finn with a slightly bored expression on her face.

"I heard something about a screaming match with Jerk-ofsky, no idea if it's true though", she said with a shrug before walking away with a blond girl who came to link pinkies with her.

Blaine sighed and ran his hand through his hair, craning his neck to see over the heads of the student-filled hallway.

"I have to go to class", Finn mumbled apologetically and placed a soothing hand awkwardly on Blaine's shoulder. "But I'm sure he's okay"

Blaine nodded at Finn, flashing a slightly forced smile before walking off to find Kurt.

This was starting to become a problem for them, Blaine thought as he ran up the stairs from the courtyard to check the dumpsters. He had been looking for Kurt after a potential beat up far too many times for his heart to survive without permanent damage. The feeling of a hand squeezing around it, was starting to become awfully familiar.

He sighed in relief when he reached the dumpsters and saw nothing but garbage bags in them. Of course, now he had pretty much no idea where to find his friend, but anything was better than being trapped in a dumpster again.

Blaine checked the library, though he didn't get much of a chance to do so before the librarian was already ushering to the class. Clearly she had some problems with her sight, or she thought that someone in a public school would actually wear slacks and a blazer with a tie.

After few minutes of sitting down with his fingers rubbing his temple, Blaine decided to check if Kurt's car was still at the school. He walked through the parking lot and froze when he saw the car he'd been looking for. Kurt still had to be somewhere close, but Blaine had no idea where.

The panic was starting to seep back through his skin as he quickly ran back inside and looked around with a distressed, thoughtful look in his eyes as he thought about places he hadn't checked yet.

* * *

Blaine paced back and forth, contemplating whether or not he should call Burt before a thought struck him and he ran back outside, through the football field and under the bleachers. He already had a smile on his face as he slipped under the metal structure, but it fell just as quickly as it had appeared. No one there.

The boy was already searching through his phone for Burt's number as he walked by the locker rooms and was nearly hit by an opening door.

"I'm so sor- Blaine?" Kurt stared at his friend in surprise before he hastily wiped his eyes and cleared his throat. "Why're you here?"

"Wasn't I supposed to pick you up, and-", Blaine started to speak, but quieted when Kurt let out a weird sound, nearly resembling a whimper.

"Oh, god! I'm so sorry, I totally forgot, I-"

Blaine quickly grabbed Kurt by the shoulders and hushed him gently to calm him down. The blue-eyes boy looked like he was on the verge of a panic attack.

"Kurt what happened?" Blaine asked worriedly and brought his other hand up to brush Kurt's hair back on its place. "I heard something about Karofsky, did he hurt you?"

Kurt shook his head, his face twisted to a pained expression as he pressed himself tightly against Blaine's chest.

"Kurt, something clearly happened. Please, tell me, I want to help you", Blaine said, pleaded, as he hugged Kurt tightly.

"Nothing", Kurt's voice answered, muffled against Blaine's shirt. "H-He was just shoving me again and I got scared. I promise, it was nothing serious"

Blaine almost opened his mouth to tell Kurt to stop lying, but decided against it. This was not the right place for that conversation. He'd wait until Kurt calmed down and would be ready talk.

Blaine gave Kurt one last squeeze before letting go of him and walking the boy to his car, and then making sure he was okay to drive before climbing into his. They drove to the Hummel house, Blaine trailing after Kurt, not once letting his worried eyes stray too far from the car in front of him.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: I guess I'll have to warn again. Yes, spoilers for season 2 episode 8. This time I don't really have anything to say, thank you for those who keep reading. And please, if you have something to say just write a review :)**

* * *

If there was one person Rachel Barbra Berry knew, it was Kurt Hummel. And the person she saw in front of her at the moment, sitting in a chair in the Lima Bean, was most definitely not him.

The boy's shoulders were slumped, and gone was the usual look of confidence from his eyes, now replaced by emptiness and anxiety. His hands kept fidgeting with his cup, his eyes darting around the shop every now and then, as if to check for danger.

Kurt had tried to hide it, and so far he'd succeeded. Not a single member of the glee club had asked him if something was wrong, and for Kurt it was better that way. It's not like he could've told them anything.

"Kurt, I'm worried", Rachel started and set down her tea cup.

Kurt turned his eyes to Rachel and smiled, though his eyes still had the same tired and spent look in them.

"Is it about sectionals? Don't worry, I'm sure you'll get your solos again and you and Finn are going to-"

"No it's- it's not that", Rachel hurried to say and grabbed Kurt's hand on the table. "It's you. I'm worried about you"

"Me?" Kurt snorted with a signature roll of his eyes and pulled his hand away. "I'm fine, Rachel"

"No, Kurt, you're not", Rachel said firmly, her eyes locked on to Kurt's. "You're not yourself. You're quiet, you've been losing weight and you're even more bitchy than usually. What's going on?"

"Nothing", Kurt answered quickly, annoyance clear in his voice.

Rachel ignored it and kept pushing.

"Kurt, stop lying to me. What is happening? Is it Karofsky?"

Kurt couldn't hide the small flinch the mention of the boy's name caused, but he looked down and squeezed his eyes shut, willing himself to play it cool before taking a sip from his cup and smiling.

"It's just the occasional shove or a slushie, nothing you or the others wouldn't experience", he said with overdone casualness. "I guess I'm just stressed because of the wedding"

"Kurt.."

"Rachel, really I'm fine", Kurt's tone was final and his eyes almost pleading as he looked at Rachel.

The girl bit her lip to keep from talking -something she very rarely did- and nodded stiffly at Kurt who smiled gratefully.

"..Okay. So what do you have planned for us today?"

Kurt perked up immediately and pulled his satchel in his lap from the floor, took out a dangerously thick folder, which he dropped on the table between them with a loud thud.

After his father had proposed to Carole and named Kurt as their wedding planner, he'd been collecting wedding magazines and tips from the internet even more than usually. He'd always loved weddings, and as an added plus, being the planner had given him something other to concentrate on than Karofsky.

"So, as formerly stated, the color theme will be rust and cognac. I won't need any help with that", Kurt said with an official tone as he opened the folder and started pulling out different color charts and adverts for florists, as well as a picture of Carole's dress.

"And the thing I want to mainly discuss with you today, are the song selections. Now, I've been thinking something like, _Going to the chapel of love, _which is of course a classic, but...", Kurt finished and waited for Rachel to continue his line of thought.

"You don't think something as predictable will be perfect enough"

"Exactly. So what do you think?"

"Well, I definitely agree with you about that, so maybe _Marry you_?" Rachel suggested as Kurt nodded at her words thoughtfully. "And we could talk to Mr. Schue about splitting the song in pieces so everyone could sing and-"

"Maybe we could all like, dance down the aisle while singing!" Kurt exclaimed enthusiastically and clapped his hands together. "Oh, and dad and Carole could come in after us, so by the time the song is finished they'd already be on their place?"

"Yes! That's great", Rachel agreed while Kurt grabbed a pen from his satchel and started writing notes in his "little" wedding-memo.

The two of them spent nearly half an hour talking about the songs to be performed at the reception, as well as the dresses for the girls. Kurt's mood was getting better the more into the planning he got, and Rachel was happy to have his friend back, even if it was just for a moment.

"Hi guys!"

Rachel lifted her head up and smiled at Blaine who was bouncing towards their table from the counter, holding a cup in his hand, smiling warmly. The boy's hair was a little more out of place now that he was out of uniform, making him look more like the Blaine Rachel had learned to know back in middle school in stead of the new dapper and preppy private school boy.

Blaine sat down next to Kurt and grinned at the magazines and pieces of paper on the table.

"Having a wedding planning session, I see?"

Kurt nodded and quickly showed Blaine the page he'd been writing on, explaining everything he'd planned already as well as the song selections. Blaine listened intently and threw in his comment every once in a while, Rachel just watched the two boys as she drank her tea quietly.

"- but, mainly I'm just worried about Finn's dancing and thank heavens he's too. We already planned a dance lesson for him and dad for Tuesday"

"You're really giving this your all, aren't you?" Blaine said, sounding a bit awed at Kurt's efforts for the wedding.

"Well, I just want dad to be happy", Kurt said with a gentle smile. "And of course, planning weddings is like crack to me"

After another half an hour of catching up between and Rachel and Blaine and the three of them just talking, Kurt got a text message from Carole. A wedding related emergency, Kurt explained and apologized to his friends before running out of the Lima Bean.

"So you are the Warblers' lead singer now?"

Blaine smiled, a small blush rising on his cheeks, and nodded.

"Yeah. Wes and David are in the council this year, and I'm guessing they had something to do with it, but no one's complained yet, so I guess I'm some good"

"Well, if you're half as great as the last time I heard you sing, we're probably going to get some real competition this year"

Blaine chuckled at Rachel's compliment before taking a sip from his cup and clearing his throat to make sure he had the girl's attention.

"Rachel, have you noticed something.. weird about Kurt lately? Like, do you think he's not acting like himself?"

"Yes. You've noticed too?"

Rachel leaned forward in her seat, anxious to hear everything Blaine knew, as the boy scrunched his eyebrows together as if he was deep in thought. The easy and relaxed mood from earlier was starting to disappear quickly.

"Yeah. I think it started a few weeks ago when I came to pick him up from McKinley"

"What happened?"

"Well, I found Kurt when he was coming out of the locker room. He was pretty shaken up about something, but he didn't tell me anything. And.. that girl from the glee club, Santana I think, said something about him yelling at Karofsky?"

"Karofsky?" Rachel repeated, suddenly looking very angry. "I knew it! That jerk has not given Kurt a moment of peace, but Kurt keeps saying it's nothing"

"Well, clearly it's something", Blaine muttered, his face still twisted into a worried frown. "What should we do?"

"I guess I could.. talk to the girls? I mean, we all have boyfriends in the football team, so maybe they could make Karofsky back off?" Rachel suggested.

"..It's that the best we've got?"

"Well, it's not like we can just march into the principal's office since Kurt won't talk. Do you have a better idea?"

"Not really. I just- Yeah, maybe it's the best thing to do at the moment", Blaine agreed reluctantly as Rachel nodded and got up from the table.

"I have to get going too", she said apologetically. "I promise I'll do my best with this Karofsky thing, I won't let him hurt Kurt anymore"

* * *

The dancing lesson for Finn and Burt was going smoothly. Kurt watched his dad dance around the choir room with his imaginary partner, smiling at his enthusiasm before he started advising Finn.

The other boy was of course reluctant to dance with Kurt with the doors open, giving a full view to the people walking in the hallway, but Kurt pretended like he had no idea why Finn wanted to close them. They were going to be a family after all, Finn might as well get used to spending time with him and stop worrying about other people's opinions.

Then Karofsky happened. He stood there in the doorway, sneering at them before walking off.

Burt of course noticed everything. He was a good father after all. When he asked was that kid giving Kurt any problems, he immediately saw there was something more going on than shoving. And he was right.

"He threatened to kill me"

Fin stared at Kurt in disbelief, before the two of them realized where Burt had ran and hurried after him to stop him from mauling Karofsky.

* * *

Burt was fuming with rage. And he wasn't even sure who it all was directed to. Or course, he really wanted to rip that Karofsky kid's balls off and show him that if he'd ever threaten his son again, he'd suffer even more.

But then again, there was Finn, who had been doing actually a pretty good job getting to know Kurt and becoming his brother after the "shared room"-incident. But now when Kurt was receiving death threats and living in constant state of fear, he was nowhere to be seen.

Burt sighed and rubbed his eyes tiredly as Carole handed Kurt a cup of the on the other side of the table and sat down next to him, rubbing soothing circles in his back.

"Kurt, why didn't you tell us?"

"I-... I was scared. He told me that he'd kill me if I told anyone, and he looked like he was serious", Kurt answered with a small voice.

"If you told anyone what?" Burt asked and folded his hands on the table, looking at his son's face intently.

"..That he was bullying me"

The way Kurt paused before speaking and how he didn't look either of them in the eyes, didn't go unnoticed by Burt and Carole. The couple exchanged a worried look before turning back to the boy.

"Is that all, honey?" Carole asked quietly and lifted her hand to stroke Kurt's hair.

"That's all"

"Okay", Burt said and smiled softly at Kurt. "Go to bed now. We'll talk to Figgins tomorrow"

"Okay. Goodnight", Kurt said as he got up and left the kitchen with the tea cup in his hands.

Carole gave Burt one of her 'worried mom'-looks and switched her chair so she could sit next to him.

"What do you think that boy did? Kurt wouldn't act like that if it really was just shoving"

"I have no idea. And Kurt is pretty damn stubborn. If he decides not to tell us, then he sure as hell won't tell us", Burt mumbled tiredly. "But tomorrow I'll make sure that kid gets expelled. No one goes around threatening my son's life"

Carole smiled fondly at Burt and kissed his cheek. One of the many reasons she'd fallen in love with him were his kindness and protective nature. He would probably never cease to amaze her with them.

"That's tomorrow. Let's go to bed now"

* * *

"He got expelled? That's great!"

Kurt shrugged and slurped the remains of his milkshake before placing the glass on the coffee table. He was spending the night at the Anderson's while Burt and Carole were out, each in their own bachelor party.

"You don't seem very happy about it...", Blaine said tentatively. "What's the matter?"

"I doubt it'll stand. It's his word against mine, and why would the school board believe me?" Kurt mumbled and pressed deeper into the pillows behind his back, fixing his eyes back on the TV screen.

Blaine opened his mouth to comfort him, but got interrupted when the front door opened and Melanie walked into the living room.

"Kurt! Sweetie, it's so good to see you!" she cooed loudly and nearly threw herself on Kurt in her hurry to hug the boy.

Blaine chuckled at the two of them, causing Kurt and Melanie to twist their heads from the hug to push their tongues out at him before returning back to it.

"It's good to see you too, Mrs. Anderson", Kurt answered and smiled against the woman's shoulder.

"Please, just start calling me Melanie. We've known each other for years, for god's sake!" Melanie laughed and ruffled Kurt's hair playfully.

"Now, I trust you have fed my son?"

"Stuffed as a turkey", Blaine said and patted his stomach. "We made pasta with tomato and mozzarella"

"Well, I guess I'm free for the night then!"Melanie laughed and turned to take her jacket back to the small foyer. "Oh, Kurt honey, I could really use your opinion about my dress for tomorrow..?"

"Yeah, of course!"

Kurt threw the blanket that was covering him into Blaine's lap and climbed upstairs after Melanie. Their new house was even more tastefully decorated than their earlier. Every color used was warm –browns and reds everywhere- and it gave the visitors an instant feel of home.

Blaine's parents' bedroom was no exception. The walls were brick red, and their bed was dark wood, while the bedding over it was creamy white. Kurt walked over to it and sat down as Melanie dove into her big closet and came out a few minutes later wearing a beautiful light green dress, with some black lace pattern on it with black heels.

"So, what do you think?" she asked excitedly and twirled for Kurt, who smiled in appreciation.

"It's gorgeus", he complimented and got up to take a closer look at the fabric. "Brings out your eyes"

"Thank you. Now, I've been thinking about my hair and Blaine and George are wildly unhelpful with that. So…?"

Kurt placed his index finger on his chin and eyed Melanie up and down thoughtfully.

"I'd say that you should definitely wear them in a bun. But not like in a tight one, more like a bit messy"

Melanie nodded and smiled thankfully at Kurt.

"You're so useful. Can I just hire you as my personal stylist?" she asked with a pou before disappearing back to the closet with gentle laughter.

"I think I'm a bit busy at the workshop, but I'll think about it", Kurt called after her as he left the room to get back to Blaine and the TV.

"I missed youuuu!" Blaine whined when Kurt appeared into the room and the older boy rolled his eyes.

"Did you catch whatever brain disease Nick and Jeff have?" Kurt asked teasingly as he sat down next to him, Blaine immediately attaching himself to his side.

"Mmm, no", Blaine mumbled and rubbed his nose sleepily against Kurt's shoulder. "I'm just glad that you're here, but then stupid mom had to steal you from me!"

Blaine shouted the latter part of his sentence, making Kurt giggle when Melanie yelled her response of "I heard that!" from upstairs.

* * *

"-Blaine! Jesus, you could sleep through a nuclear strike!"

Blaine rubbed his eyes tiredly and yawned loudly, stretching his arms above his head before he was suddenly hit by a pillow.

"Seriously, Blaine! We have to get going in an hour, and you haven't even dressed, or brushed your hair or anything!" Kurt said angrily as he grabbed the boy's shoulders to pull him out of his bed.

"Just a few more minutes, please?"

"No! You're getting up right now, Blaine Devon Anderson, or I will not be resposible for my actions"

Blaine groaned as Kurt finally managed to pull him up to a sitting position and started dragging him out of the room and into the bathroom.

"And make sure you brush your hair properly", Kurt reminded him from the other side of the door.

Blaine rolled his eyes and kept brushing his teeth in his normal slow pace, if not for anything else then just to piss Kurt off.

He tamed his bed hair the best he could, before walking out into the hallway and giving Kurt a questioning look.

"I guess that will have to do", Kurt mumbled before grabbing Blaine again and pulling him back into his room.

"Where's your suit?"

"Hanging on the door"

Kurt went to get Blaine's clothes from the closet and threw them at the other boy. Blaine was surprised Kurt didn't have a small pocket watch in his hands, as he ushered for Blaine to be quicker.

"Okay, which bowtie are you going to wear?" Kurt asked once Blaine was buttoning up his shirt, and walked over to the dresser where Blaine kept his accessories.

"I was thinking the dark green one?" Blaine said, making it sound like a question so Kurt could make his own decision.

"Okay, that's good"

Blaine watched as Kurt pulled the bowtie out of the drawer and walked back over to him.

"May I?" Kurt asked and lifted the bowtie up to wrap it around Blaine's neck.

Blaine nodded and watched as Kurt began tieing the bowtie with his long fingers. He stared at Kurt's concentrated face, eyes occasionally dropping down to his lips without a warning as his mind wandered to a phone call from weeks back.

"Hey, Kurt?"

"Mm-mh?"

"Why did you call me about the kiss?" Blaine asked curiously and Kurt's hands paused for a moment before quickly continuing with their task.

"Why do you ask?" he countered a bit stiffly and kept working, trying to avoid Blaine's eyes.

"I was just wondering. Why did you feel like you needed to say that we were just friends? We kissed only because of the spin the bottle, right?"

"Yes. Of course", Kurt answered quickly.

"Then why did you call me just to say that it didn't mean anything, when it was already obvious?"

"I- Blaine, listen. Lately I've been feeling a bit… confused. About some things", Kurt said, every word sounding like it was practiced, not natural. "But I don't want my confusion to destroy our friendship. I care about you too much to do that"

"Why are you confused?" Blaine asked, hoping that he was right about where this was going.

Kurt sighed as his hands fell down from Blaine's neck after he'd smoothed the bowtie.

"I've been having these feelings lately", Kurt confessed and lifted his eyes to look into Blaine's. "And, I'm worried that these feelings I have developed for yo-"

"Boys! We're leaving!"

Kurt and Blaine both flinched at the suddenness of Melanie's voice, Blaine cursing his mother's bad timing in his mind. He quickly turned to Kurt to keep the boy talking, but the moment was gone. Kurt stepped away from Blaine and glanced at the door.

"We should probably-"  
"Yeah, we should just-"

The boys smiled awkwardly at each other as they made their way downstairs to Melanie –who had dressed and put her hair exactly according to Kurt's advice- and George who were standing in the doorway waiting for them.

"Are you boys ready for the wedding?" George asked with a wide grin as the four of them walked out to his car.

"Yes. I'm really excited to see what everyone thinks about the decorations", Kurt answered, "And well, yeah, I guess I'm happy for dad too", he joked and slid into the backseat.

"Carole really is a wonderful person", Melanie said and everyone nodded in agreement.

"She really is", Kurt agreed with a soft smile. "I know she and dad will be so happy together"

"Yes, absolutely. And Burt deserves it, he's such a great man. And an amazing father"

The conversation shifted naturally between Blaine's parents and Kurt, while Blaine sat next to Kurt and stared out of the window. Every now and then he turned his head slightly to catch the happy look on Kurt's face as he laughed, or the way he bit his lip thoughtfully when he was talking about more serious things.

Kurt could feel Blaine's eyes on him and he smiled widely at the boy, before his expression softened to something more meaningful.

"We'll talk later", he said, quiet enough so Melanie and George didn't hear, then joining back into their conversation, but not before giving Blaine one last warm look, which send weird -but definitely good- tingles all around Blaine's body.


	15. Chapter 15

When the ceremony was over and everyone at the reception, Kurt was immediately swept away by relatives who wanted to take pictures of the new family and compliment the boy for his amazing skills at wedding designing.

The place really was amazing. The ballroom Kurt managed to book form the hotel was big with lots of room for the dance floor and the tables. The decorations were simple enough, but the chosen colors complemented each other perfectly with their warm tones.

Blaine sat down with his parents into their assigned table near the Hudmels' -a name the glee clubbers had developed for the new family- where they sat together with two Carole's old college friends.

The women introduced themselves as Jane and Hilary, and they seemed to get along well with Melanie and George, the four of them sharing stories about the 'young couple'. Blaine sat quietly as he waited for everyone else to find their place and for the actual festivities to begin.

Soon enough the guests were seated and Carole and Burt walked over to the middle of the dance floor, grinning ridiculously wide at each other while Mr. Schue began singing _Sway._

Somewhere in the back of his mind, Blaine found himself imagining his own wedding. Smiling at someone with the same gentleness and happiness in his eyes, as Burt and Carole had, waltzing in matching tuxes and excitedly planning the future with that someone. His eyes slid from the couple to the back of a certain chestnut colored head.

The people watched as the couple danced, some of them chuckling at the concentrated frown on Burt's face. Somewhere near the end of the song Kurt turned around in his seat and smiled at Blaine, giving him a small wave of his hand, which Blaine returned with a grin.

"The place looks amazing", he mouthed, a fitting look of admiration on his face.

"I know", Kurt mouthed back with a small smirk before turning back to watch his father and stepmother.

The couple's first dance received a loud applause and they were still out of breath and grinning when they got back to their seats to listen Finn's speech.

Blaine was a bit surprised at the fact that after complimenting and congratulating his mom and Burt, he quickly began talking about his stepbrother. He stood in front of all of the guests, apologizing for the way he'd acted and promising that he'd be there for Kurt.

Blaine clapped and whooped when Finn pulled the boy to the dance floor with him. He smiled at the brothers, as they danced -a bit awkwardly, yes- while the glee club danced around them. Kurt looked so happy with them, happier than he'd been in a while actually.

The song ended after Kurt had danced with Burt and Finn with Carole, the performance receiving even more thunderous applause than the last one. Kurt giggled happily as Finn nearly lifted him off the ground with his hug, and playfully swatted the boy so he'd let him down.

Blaine saw Kurt's mouth form the words "I'll get Blaine", before the boy was already jogging towards him with flushed cheeks and a bright smile.

"Hi"

"Hey"

"You haven't really been formally introduced yet, so..?" Kurt said and gestured towards the glee club who were sitting a few tables down in the two tables reserved for them.

"Yeah, of course"

Blaine excused himself from the table and walked after Kurt to the group of teens, where three boys were currently having a minor food fight with the cookies Kurt had baked.

"I'm glad that you find my pastries so very entertaining, but we're at a wedding and you're not five", Kurt said strictly, sounding like a mother who was scolding her children.

"Sorry", the boy in the wheelchair mumbled. "We were just mesmerized by your sugary goodies, for our better judgment to stop us"

Kurt smiled in amusement before shaking his head in disbelief and turning to pull Blaine next to him from behind his back.

"This is Blaine", he introduced the boy who smiled a toothy grin and waved over enthusiastically at the others. "He's a bit on the dumb side, so be nice and- ow!"

Kurt pouted as he rubbed his shoulder to which Blaine answered by sticking his tongue out.

"Hi", he greeted and smiled at the group.

"Santana, I think it's the hobbit boy", Blaine heard the same blonde girl who he'd seen a few weeks back to whisper into the black haired girl's ear.

"What's up?" the mohawked boy who'd been throwing the cookies asked and fist bumped Blaine. "You look really familiar, dude. Have we met before?"

"Uh, yes, actually", Blaine answered, "We went to the same school since fifth grade?"

"Oh yeah! Blaine Anderson, now I remember", Puck exclaimed and smiled. "Yeah, some of the other guys used to call you Up-in-the-ass Anderson"

"..Okay?"

Kurt threw Puck a nasty look before pulling Blaine away from him and turning him to face the rest of the club.

"This is Quinn", Kurt started and smiled at the blonde girl whose shoulder was wrapped under a -clearly dyed- blonde haired boy's arm. Blaine remembered Quinn from the stories Kurt had told from last year and barely managed not to blurt out that she certainly didn't look like someone who'd given birth.

"And that's Sam"

The blonde offered his hand for Blaine to shake.

"Kaltxi"

"You speak na'vi?" Blaine asked incredulously as the boy's eyes widened.

"Oh my god, yes! You're the first person to realize that!" Sam said excitedly, his hand falling from where it was wrapped around Quinn.

"I freaking love Avatar", Blaine gushed. "Kurt and I've seen it like six times"

"Really?" an Asian girl chimed in and looked at Kurt in surprise. "Kurt likes sci-fi?"

"Yes, Tina, I like sci-fi", Kurt answered, sounding a bit bored. "It's not like you people know everything about me"

"Oh my god, he doesn't play videogames, does he?" another girl -who Blaine recognized as Mercedes- asked and leaned forward in her seat to stare at Blaine.

"Well.. uh, yes. We actually played COD just last night"

"Oh god! Who are you?" Mercedes nearly shrieked, though she had an amused expression on her face as she gaped at Kurt. "I'm gonna have to steal your boytoy and get all your nasty secrets out of him"

"First of all, he's not my _boytoy_", Kurt muttered, his cheeks blushing. "And second of all, they're not nasty secrets, none of you have just never bothered to ask. You've just assumed that I'm a stereotype. You think, I only like Lady Gaga and fashion, imagining there's nothing else to me"

"That's not true, Kurt", Tina said with a small voice, breaking the oppressive silence, and the others around her nodded. "I'm sorry if we've made you feel that way. But just like the song says, we love you just the way you are. And we definitely don't think you're a stereotype "

"I know. I didn't mean to sound so snappy", Kurt assured and hugged the girl tightly to prevent her from tearing up again like she very often did. "And I love you guys too"

Tina made an incoherent sound against Kurt's shoulder, that resembled some sort of a apology before Kurt was pulling away from her and continuing with introducing everyone to Blaine.

Blaine managed to map out the many personalities in the glee club pretty quickly. It was sort of fascinating how a group of people who were so different from each other could get along so well. The Warblers were not nearly as diverse. To get into the group you had to get invited to an audition by a current member, and of course the uniform was mandatory, as it was in nearly every club activity that Dalton had to offer.

And the group really cared about each other. Puck and Artie -the boy in the wheelchair- came to give him a serious talk about Kurt's feelings and how if he'd hurt them, the two boys would hunt him down and kick his ass. It was rather sweet, actually.

Santana was a whole different story. At one point Blaine found himself with a lap full of the girl, as she purred softly in his ear in Spanish. She didn't leave until Kurt was red enough to blow steam out of his ears.

Santana's best friend, Brittany, was nearly a polar opposite of the girl. She was sweet, in a very childlike way and Blaine suspected that she couldn't hurt a fly without bursting into tears.

"They're dating", Kurt whispered in Blaine's ear, both of their eyes on the retreating backs of the girls who had left to 'powder their noses'.

"Neither of them has come out of closet, but they're at least sleeping together"

"How do you know?" Blaine asked as they sat down on the two empty seats that were now vacated.

"Brittany slipped it last year during a phone conversation. And I don't think that girl is capable of telling lies"

Blaine nodded in agreement. "They will make a cute couple someday"

"Yeah"

The boys stayed in the glee club's table's a little while longer, Blaine trying to get to know everyone while Sam kept surprising him by starting a conversation in na'vi, before Rachel shushed everyone and announced it was time for her and Finn's duet.

The couple climbed up on the stage, Finn grinning goofily beside Rachel who was absolutely beaming. But then the music started and suddenly they slipped into their stage personas -slight smiles directed at each other, and meaningful looks which made everyone feel like the two of them didn't see anyone else at that moment.

_"I can't believe this moment's come, It's so incredible that we're alone"_

"Dance with me?"

Kurt's question startles Blaine, but he found himself nodding and taking the hand Kurt has offered for him, with a quiet "sure".

_"There's so much to be said and done__, __It's impossible not to be overcome"_

They walked past the tables hand in hand, missing the happy look Melanie and Carole stared at them with, from the table they're currently sitting in with their husbands.

Kurt stopped when they reached the dance floor, where many couples were already dancing together. From the corner of his eye Blaine spotted Sam and Quinn dancing right next to Tina and Mike, who were pressed together from head to toe and swaying with their eyes closed.

Then Kurt lifted his hands on Blaine's shoulders and pulled the other boy close. Much closer than when they'd been at the dance few years ago. Blaine's hands wrapped themselves around Kurt's middle, and they too began dancing at the same slow pace as everyone else.

_"Dont let go of the things you believe in"  
"__You give me something that I can believe in"_

_"__Dont' let go of this moment in time__"_

The two of them didn't let their eyes stray from the contact, as they smiled happily at each other. Blaine's thumb was rubbing Kurt's back softly while Kurt lifted his other hand to toy with the hair in the nape of his neck.

"You look great", the blue-eyed boy muttered quietly. "I forgot to say that earlier"

"You too", Blaine answered, "That's not a surprise though, you always do"

Kurt smiled shyly in that adorable way where his nose crinkled and teeth showed before turning his eyes to the floor.

"Thanks"

They kept dancing, the mood slowly changing to something more deep and loaded, until Blaine couldn't resist anymore.

"What were you going to say earlier?" he asked tilting his head slightly to the side.

"In your room?"

Blaine nodded and Kurt exhaled like he was mentally preparing himself for something.

"I-.. Wait, I want to say this the right way"

"Blaine", Kurt started again and smiled at the boy in front of him. The two of them we're not dancing so much anymore, only swaying slowly from one side to another.

"I like you. As in, I _really_ like you. I have had some of mixed feelings about you for a while, but I think I really do. Like you, I mean. And I know, it could be weird since we've been friends for so long, but I can't help feeling like this and I would just love it if you'd go out with me. Oh god, I sound like a rambling four-year-old and you're staring at me like that, oh god, I shouldn't have said anything, I'll just shut u-"

Kurt let out a surprised yelp when Blaine was suddenly even closer to him and pressing their lips together. This time the kiss was not on the cheek, nor a chaste press of lips in the corner of the other's mouth. No, this, this was just... something else.

The way Blaine's lips molded against his own and moved in perfect tandem with them sent sparks all around Kurt's body and, wow, who knew kissing could be like this. The soft touch was calming and felt familiar, though at the same time it was something new and exhilarating. His fingers moved on their own accord to tangle themselves into Blaine's hair and the curly haired boy gasped in surprise, unintentionally breaking the moment and pulling his lips from Kurt's.

Both of their eyes opened and they pulled away from each other, just when the song was starting to end and people began clapping. Though, judging from the whoops and catcalls coming from the glee tables, not everyone was only clapping for Finn and Rachel.

"Do you maybe want to go outside for a moment?" Blaine asked, biting the inside of his cheek to keep from grinning stupidly the way he wanted to. "To talk. Of course, I'm not going to take advantage of you"

"Idiot!" Kurt laughed, the same happy look on his face which Blaine was trying hard to hide.

They grabbed each other's hands and began walking out of the room, waving at their parent's tables, where Carole and Melanie were smiling knowingly. Burt and George frowned at their wives, clearly having been so engaged in a conversation that they'd missed the two boys on the dance floor, but when their eyes fell on their sons' linked hands, their eyes widened comically.

Kurt grinned at his father, whose shocked expression quickly wore off and got replaced by a smile directed at both of the boys.

Kurt then felt an impatient tug on his hand and quickly turned to Blaine, who was already pulling him out of the door and into the hotel lobby, where they continued out of the front doors into the cool October air.

"That was... just, wow", Blaine finally said after they'd found a little more secluded spot in near the hotel's playground, and pulled Kurt against his chest to press his nose against Kurt's hair, because finally he was allowed to.

"Yeah, my sentiments exactly", Kurt chuckled and pulled away from the other boy to sit down on the nearby bench, turning to give Blaine an inviting look and pat the empty space next to him.

"So..", Blaine said slowly after he'd sat down.

"Yeah.."

Both stared at each other, until they couldn't hold it anymore and burst out laughing at the same time, clutching each other to stay upright. The whole situation seemed just so unreal.

"Wow, okay", Blaine managed to get out after their laughter died out. "I... How did this happen?"

"I don't know. It just did?" Kurt answered with a wide grin. "It's okay, though?"

"Okay? Kurt this- pardon my language- this is fucking amazing! I mean, I've had a crush on you since like, forever"

"You- you have?"

"Yes!" Blaine laughed a bit disbelievingly himself.

"Oh, that's.. um.. I don't know how to respond to that", Kurt said shyly.

"It's okay, you don't need to say anything", Blaine assured and took a hold of the boy's hand. "Now, I do believe you mentioned something about a date?"

* * *

Something was up with Blaine. Jeff and Nick could see it from thirty feet from him, and probably would've even thirty miles from him.

Blaine skipped -yes, skipped- over to them, smiling unusually brightly even for him, and greeted them by handing them their own cups of Lima Bean coffee.

"Morning, dear friends! God, it's a beautiful morning isn't it?"

"Nick, I'm scared", Jeff mumbled with wide eyes and pressed himself against his friend's side, hissing at Blaine.

"What? Can't a guy be happy?" Blaine asked with a raised brow.

"Blaine, you look like you're about to invite a bunch of woodland creatures to sing with you", Nick said matter-of-factly, and stroked Jeff's hair gently. "And look what you've done, you broke Jeff"

Blaine snorted and rolled his eyes before turning his head to smile at Wes and David who were walking towards them from the parking lot.

"Hi guys!" he shouted and waved at the boys, who lifted their eyebrows in question but kept walking.

"What's happened you?" Wes asked when they reached the boys, and threw a weird look at Jeff and Nick, who were still staring at Blaine like he was the third anti-Christ.

"Oh, nothing. You know just, went to a wedding, slow danced and kissed the boy I've been dreaming about for years", Blaine said nonchalantly.

"What?!" Jeff and Nick shrieked toppling over to the ground to a mess of limbs and swearing.

"Wow, finally!" Wes congratulated and patted Blaine on the back as David smiled brightly at him.

"You kissed?"

"As in on the lips?"

"Was it with tongue?"

"Was it good?"

Blaine stared at Nick and Jeff who were mere inches away from his face in disbelief, but luckily he was saved from the mass of questions still to come by the ringing of the bell.

Nick and Jeff kept bombarding him with questions their whole walk inside, and even as they were climbing up the stairs in the stream of other uniformed students. It was still kind of hard for Blaine to tell apart the students from each other, but he was getting better at it.

Still, he didn't notice the one new face that was coming towards him when they reached the third floor of the building for their English class.

"Excuse me, can I ask you a question, I'm new here"

Blaine spun around when he recognized the voice and his eyes widened in disbelief at the sight before him. There was Kurt, in his own brand-new Dalton uniform, smiling widely with his head tilted adorably to the side.

"Kurt? Wha- Why- What are you doing here?"

"I transferred", Kurt answered happily. "I'll tell you about the details later, but right now I'd really appreciate it if you'd tell me where my double period of English will take place?"

Blaine was unable to do anything else but to nod. He then offered his hand for the other boy, who quickly took it and greeted Jeff and Nick who had been staring at the scene in front of them with their mouths hanging open.

For a while Blaine only stared at Kurt, but finally the message started to sink in. Kurt had transferred. To Dalton. God, Blaine must've done something amazing in his previous life.


	16. Chapter 16

By the end of his first week it was already clear to Kurt how much Dalton differed from McKinley. The classes were more challenging, the students actually paid attention and even acted nice towards each other. He could be experiencing some minor form of a culture shock.

"_So, you're good?"_

"Yes dad. I'm fine", Kurt said for the hundredth time since the phone call had begun and shut the magazine he'd been paging through.

"_No one's giving you a hard time?"_

"No dad. Your concern is as nice as it's unnecessary"

"_That boy you're rooming with, he's okay too?"_

"Jonathan's great", Kurt assured with a bored sigh, "He gets straight A's and would never encourage me to try drugs or alcohol"

"_There's drugs and alcohol at Dalton?"_ Burt nearly shouted, making Kurt roll his eyes.

"No dad", Kurt muttered and dragged his hand down his face tiredly. "My point is that Jonathan is a good roommate and I have friends, you don't need to worry so much"

"_I know. It's just pretty quiet around here without you. We miss you, kiddo"_

Kurt smiled at his father's tone just when there was a knock on his door.

"I miss you guys too", he said as he made his way over to the door. "Say hi to Finn and Carole for me"

"_I will. Bye Kurt"_

"Bye dad", Kurt ended the call as he opened the door and nearly dropped the phone when a very tired looking Trent fell into his arms.

"I hate you Kurt Hummel, you have ruined my nap time!" the boy whined loudly and pressed his face Kurt's shirt.

"Uh, Trent? I'm not sure what I've done, but I'm sorry. And could you maybe please let go of me?"

"There's a freaking monkey pack rioting in my room!" Trent nearly shouted, but let go of Kurt to walk past him and flop down on Jonathan's bed.

"Oh, please do come in Trent", Kurt muttered to himself and closed the door before walking after the other boy. "How exactly is the rioting of this 'monkey pack' my fault?"

"You and your stupid date with Blaine", came Trent's muffled voice from where his face was pressed against the bedding. "He only now realized he has 'absolutely nothing to wear', so naturally he asked for Jeff, Nick, Wes and David to help him. I couldn't take it Kurt, I just couldn't!" Trent moaned as he got up to a sitting position and pouted at Kurt.

"I'm… sorry?" Kurt tried and slowly sat down on his bed. "Our couch is free, and I already have my outfit ready, so you can have your nap here?"

"Are you sure Jonathan doesn't mind?" Trent asked, but Kurt noticed how wistfully the boy was eyeing the couch.

"No, he's probably at the library again", Kurt said and shoot the boy a smile before getting up. "I trust you won't steal or break anything if I let you stay here alone?"

"I won't", Trent replied happily as he skipped over to the couch and fell on it with a pleased sigh.

Kurt chuckled at the boy before buttoning his shirt properly and putting his tie back on. He contemplated on taking his blazer but decided against it grabbed his grey cardigan that was a bit too big on him before leaving the room.

As he neared the stairs that led downstairs, he couldn't help but to hear the loud banging and occasional shouting from the room at the end of the hall. Kurt shook his head with a disbelieving smirk on his face and walked down and outside of the dorm doors.

Another thing Kurt had noticed during his stay was that the Dalton grounds were ridiculously beautiful. Probably even more during spring, when the garden's flowers were starting to bloom again. There were lots of old trees around the buildings the biggest and most eye-catching being the oak tree Mr. Dalton's great grandfather had planted when his family had first moved here and build their mansion.

Kurt walked closer to the tree that was behind the dorm and wrapped his arms around himself when a chilly gust surprised him, making his teeth clatter.

_I should've taken the blazer with me,_ he thought, cursing his own bad judgement when a small twig fell from the tree.

He twisted his neck to look upwards, waiting to see a squirrel or some little bird, but was surprised to face a distantly familiar pair of green eyes and a mop of shaggy blonde hair.

"Why, good evening, Kurt Hummel!" the boy greeted cheerily and hopped down to hang on a branch before letting go and dropping down next to the boy.

"I was a bit worried that you'd forgotten about me and our little duet when you didn't come speak to me the first thing when you transferred, but oh well, better late than never"

"Ethan!" Kurt exclaimed finally when he realized who the boy was. "Yes, you're that 'asshole' who I sang with", he said making quotations with his fingers around the word _asshole_.

"Sorry, I do believe it was 'assumed asshole'?" Ethan said, the never fading smirk still on his face.

"Yeah, sorry you're right. My mistake", Kurt answered, and took a step to brush past the boy.

"Whoa, what's the hurry?" Ethan interrupted him by pushing his arm on Kurt's way. "I could really use some company, and you probably have nothing more important to do right now since you're walking around all alone"

Kurt pondered his options. Yes, he was by now pretty familiar with the stories involving Ethan and his 'sweet, innocent empty-headed victims', but the boy was right. He really didn't have anything better to do at the moment. And Kurt definitely knew that you should not judge a person just based on rumors.

"Okay, fine", Kurt agreed and smiled politely at the boy. "What do you wanna do?"

"Well, I was actually in the middle of playing when you and your cute little face walked over, and I know that you have a Warbler audition coming up", Ethan said and stepped away from Kurt to hop on the lowest branch on the tree. "So maybe we could do some singing together?"

"In a tree?" Kurt asked with a raised brow and eyed the oak incredulously.

"Yes, of course in a tree!" Ethan exclaimed and began climbing.

Kurt stared after him and blinked dumbly, before shrugging to himself and going after the other boy. Tree-climbing was not as hard as he'd thought. He had of course climbed them before, but after one particular camping trip with Blaine and seven stitches when he was ten, he'd decided not to climb trees ever again.

When he reached the spot where Ethan was waiting for him, Kurt was a bit dumbfounded. He had certainly not expected what he saw before him. Ethan was sitting in the middle of an even and smooth spot where all the branches started to grow from, which was big enough for maybe three or four people to lie in. The branches bended over them and the setting sun shone through the orange leaves, giving some light for the space where they were standing in.

"I.. didn't think trees could look like this outside of movies", Kurt mumbled as he gazed around himself in wonder. "Kind of looks like Rafiki's house from _Lion King_"

"I know right?" Ethan said, and bended over to grab his guitar from the 'floor'. He then started strumming a random tune absentmindedly as he walked over to Kurt who was still staring upwards through the leaves.

"Looks pretty amazing, huh?"

"It does", Kurt agreed and turned his eyes to Ethan to smile at the boy.

Ethan nodded and did a little twirl in the time of the beat. "So you're glad you chose me over aimless walking around the grounds?"

"So far, yes", Kurt answered and sat down, leaning his back against the thickest branch.

"Oh no, you can't sit there", Ethan said and clucked his tongue disapprovingly.

"Why?"

Kurt moved away from the spot and turned to look back at it, a bit scared that he'd sat on bird poop. And that's no laughing matter, Dalton uniform pants were surprisingly hard to wash.

"That", Ethan said and pointed at a small carving on the branch Kurt had been leaning on, "is why you can't sit there"

Kurt got up and brushed his pants clean before looking up and taking a closer look at the carving. It didn't look like the hastily carved hearts and initials teenagers usually made with their girl- or boyfriends. There was a heart, yes, but whoever had made it had spent a lot of time to make it as symmetric and beautiful as it was. And the names inside the heart… Kurt couldn't have written so beautiful letters even on paper.

"Thomas and Edward?" Kurt read aloud and turned to face Ethan. "Who are they?"

"Actually, the question should be who _were _they", Ethan answered, changing the tune he'd been playing to something more slow.

"They studied here in 1931", Ethan began as Kurt watched him walk around in the small space while strumming. "I'm guessing it was love at first sight from the way they look at each other in the old Dalton yearbooks"

"That sounds sweet. Do you know what happened to them after that?"

"Well, they are sort of a legend at Dalton. Everyone knows how the story goes", Ethan said with a shrug.

"They moved away together to live in New York. Thomas' father didn't approve it, said that if he didn't find a proper girl to settle down with he'd no longer be his son. Edward's parents were already dead, so he didn't have that problem. Eventually they decided Thomas' parents' opinion didn't change anything, that all that mattered to them was each other. And they did stay together, but"

Ethan paused to sit down and gave Kurt a sad smile. "Then the Second World War started. Edward was lucky enough to not to be sent off, because he had some medical condition, no one really remembers what it was. Thomas wasn't so lucky though"

"Did he die?" Kurt asked quietly, still staring the carving intently. Stories like this always got the best of his romantic side.

"He did, sadly. But after the message of his death had reached Edward, he got a package from France. It was a necklace Edward had bought for him. He kept it around his neck until the day he died"

"That's so romantic", Kurt sighed and gave the carving one last sad look before turning around. He was surprised to see how glossy Ethan's eyes had become.

"It is", the boy agreed as he wiped his eyes hastily with his sleeve. "And speaking of romance", he continued and patted the empty space beside him. "How are things with you and that Warbler of yours?"

"Blaine? How did you-"

"There's really no way to avoid the rumors in this place. Though Dalton may look like it's full of calm and collected young men, this is just like any other high school. And besides, Anderson is pretty popular because of his sick singing skills. Everyone is dying to know are you two really dating, and if you're becoming the school's power couple. He has his fair share of stalke- sorry, I meant admirers"

"Oh, wow", Kurt muttered as he slid down to sit next to Ethan. "Should I be worried?"

"No. I don't think anyone is blind enough to miss the way you two look at each other. No one's going to come between you and your dream Warbler", Ethan assured with a teasing smile.

"Well, that's a relief"

"So, are you boyfriends now?" Ethan asked twisting the word _boyfriends _so it sounded like it was coming out of a pre-teen girl's mouth.

"We… I don't really know", Kurt answered and frowned at his own response. "I mean, we haven't really talked about it yet, and now that I think about it we haven't even.."

"You haven't even..?"

"Kissed. After the wedding, I mean. I think there have been moments when we could've, but… maybe it just still seems weird", Kurt said, sounding more like he was talking to himself.

"But, you two are going out on a date tonight, right? You'll have plenty of time to work this out there", Ethan suggested and nudged Kurt in a way that was probably supposed to be comforting.

Kurt nodded and smiled thankfully at the boy. "Yeah. I should talk about it with him tonight"

"You know, Ethan", Kurt continued with a little smirk on his face and leaned further against the branch behind their backs, "You're not as bad as the rumors make you out to be. You haven't even tried to fool me to have sex with you"

"Oh, is that what the rumors are nowadays?" Ethan chuckled and leaned closer to Kurt to continue with a quiet voice like he was sharing a secret, "Last time they were about me doing drugs and stealing silverware from people's homes"

"You're kidding!" Kurt snorted and shook his head. "I guess high schools really are all just the same, no matter where you are"

"Well, I have to admit, it's not like the rumors are _completely _untrue", Ethan said quietly, trying to avoid Kurt's shocked eyes.

"Really?" Kurt spoke tentatively, discretely creating more space between him and Ethan. The boy didn't seem to mind.

"Kurt, that what you said to me at the party", Ethan started after a thoughtful pause, "about you not wanting to assume stuff about me just based on something you heard, it…. it was probably one of the nicest things anyone has ever said to me"

"That's pretty sad", Kurt interrupted, causing Ethan to let out a chuckle.

"It really is, isn't it? But I just want you to know that, I'm really nowhere near as bad as people think I am. And those guys who I hang out with, they're complete idiots and it definitely wouldn't hurt to have a one actual friend in this place", the boy said with a smile. "Someone who isn't a complete dickhead"

Kurt raised his eyebrow and pointed at himself with a questioning look. "Moi?"

"Yes, you. Would you like to play with me sometime?" Ethan asked, making a pretty effective puppy dog impression.

"Yeah, why not", Kurt chuckled with a shrug and smiled widely at the boy before taking his hand and shaking it.

"Kurt Hummel, you have just made yourself a new friend! Now shall we start the singing?"

* * *

"Well, I see someone has recovered from their clothing problem"

Blaine squeaked –in a very manly way, of course- and quickly closed the door behind him to hide the massive piles of clothes covering the floor and pretty much just every possible surface. Kurt eyed him in amusement, but Blaine didn't even notice because he was busy appreciating the outfit the boy was wearing (a grey shirt with its sleeves rolled up to the elbows, a green vest over it accompanied by a matching bowtie and black skinny jeans with Kurt's faithful Doc Martens).

"You look-"

"Great, I know. You always say that", Kurt said barely managing to hide the small blush on his cheeks. "You look amazing, too"

As Blaine was still stuttering out his own thanks, Kurt pulled the hand he'd been hiding behind his back away from there and handed Blaine a small bouquet of red and yellow roses.

"These are for you"

"Kurt, they're beautiful", Blaine said earnestly and sniffed the flowers. "Thank you"

Kurt tried to hide the happy grin that threatened to rise on his face by biting his lip and quickly took an indifferent look on his face and fingered the bouquet in Blaine's hand just to get his hands something to do.

"Yes, well, I wanted to do this 'first date-thing' properly", he said dismissively, trying to hide the pride he took from making Blaine smile like that.

"I mean it", Blaine paused before continuing in a quieter tone, "thank you"

There was a moment after that when the both of them just stared at each other with warm, openly loving looks on their faces. Neither of them knew which one was the first to lean in, but soon they found themselves with Blaine's hands behind Kurt's neck, his right still holding the bouquet, and Kurt's hands squeezing Blaine's back tightly as their eyes closed, their lips almost touching.

"Jesus guys! You can't make it further than the hallway?"

Nick's voice startled the two of them apart, and the boys turned to glare threateningly at the door that was cracked open to reveal the faces of their friends.

"Jonathan? Not you too!" Kurt whined and the boy in question quickly put his hands up in surrender.

"I have no part in this, I swear! I'm just an innocent by-stander"

"Yeah right, you were the one who bet they wouldn't even leave Blaine's room until eight!" Jeff accused, causing Jonathan to blush crimson red and quickly retreat from the door to avoid the looks Blaine and Kurt were shooting at him.

"You really make bets involving our lives?" Blaine asked disbelievingly.

"It's not just us", Wes defended himself –rather poorly I might add- as David nodded furiously beside him.

"Yes we currently have... forty three people on our list", Nick said cheerily, holding a notebook which had the word _Klaine _written all over it in his hands.

"Go to sleep guys, is little kids' bedtime", Kurt said and stuck out his tongue at the boys who had replied by making kissy faces at the two of them.

"C'mon, let's just go", Blaine said quietly and took Kurt's hand in his, giving the boy one of his charming smiles to distract him. "They'll calm down as soon as we're gone"

Kurt shot one last glare at the boys, before he and Blaine left the hallway.

"So, I'm guessing we're doing the traditional 'dinner and a movie' first date?" Blaine said with a happy smile as he squeezed the hand he was holding softly.

"We're only doing the dinner part", Kurt clarified. "After that we can do anything equally clichéd as a movie. Your choice"

"How about a romantic moonlight walk in the park?" Blaine suggested, feigning an overly dreamy sigh while pushing the dorm building door open.

"Okay, sounds good. You did remember your jacket?"

"Yeah, I have it in my car", Blaine said as he pointed at a distant shape in the dark outside the school gates. "Mom and dad drove it here for us"

"That's good. Spares me the cab money", Kurt joked and nudged Blaine's side playfully. "But I'll probably end up broke anyways after buying your dinner"

* * *

**A/N: next chapter; THE FIRST DATE. (I didn't want to make this chapter a million times longer than the earlier ones)**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Thank you again for all the new reviewers and favorites and follows! I love you all. And as for this chapter I've never been to America, much less to Westerville so none of the places in this chapter are real. (and if they are: wow, I'm good!)**

* * *

The restaurant Kurt had settled for was a small one a bit further away from the Westerville city center than the other options. It was a nice, classy place, but nothing too fancy. A perfect place for a first date.

When Kurt climbed out of the passenger seat, Blaine was already outside waiting for him, entwining their fingers together the second he got the chance and flashing the boy a happy smile, which Kurt returned along with a brush of his thumb against Blaine's knuckles.

They both kept smiling widely as they made their way over to the door where they reluctantly pulled their hands to themselves -bashing from the other diners or the wait staff would most definitely create a rather dark shadow over their night.

Inside the restaurant was even nicer than the cute, simple exterior suggested: the place was dimly lit with small colorful glass jars that were hanging from long strings that stretched all around the restaurant. The walls were made of brick, and were covered by black and white photographs while the floor and the furniture were dark wood.

"Good evening boys", a bouncy blonde waitress greeted, startling Kurt and Blaine from their admiration of the place. "A table for two?"

"Yes, thank you"

The blonde smiled bright enough for the boys to be surprised she didn't illuminate their faces before gesturing for them to come with her. She led them to the back of the restaurant far from the other customers, babbling the whole way about weather and other common topics. It was pretty impressive, considering that the table she led them to couldn't be more than thirty feet away from them, but then again she spoke incredibly fast.

She stopped at the table and leaned over it to light the small candle on it before turning around and smiling at the boys.

"I figured you wanted something a little more _private_", she said with an over exaggerated wink and disappeared to get the boys' menus.

Kurt blinked as he tried to clear his head to comprehend what on earth the girl had just said (his head was still a mess after all the talking she'd done), but then Blaine appeared right next to him to pull his chair out.

"Here you go", Blaine said, smiling like a proper old-fashioned gentleman.

"Thanks", Kurt answered and sat down with a shy smile on his face while Blaine went around the small table to sit on the opposite side of him.

The waitress -Lillian, Kurt now realized after noticing the name tag she was wearing- came back and handed the menus to the boys.

"So, anything to drink?" she asked with her cheery voice as she flicked a small pad and a pen from her apron's pocket.

The boys ordered two cokes and began to read through their menus when Lillian walked to the bar to get their drinks.

"Everything looks so _good_", Blaine said, nearly moaning as he looked at the options.

"I know, right?" Kurt agreed and bit his lip thoughtfully before closing the menu and setting it on the table.

"You decided already?" Blaine asked incredulously, his eyes wide with surprise.

"Yes?" Kurt answered with a light laughter. "It's not nuclear physics, Blaine. Just pick something"

After a few more minutes of pondering and frowning as Kurt giggled at the concentration on Blaine's face, the boy had reached a decision and the two of them ordered their dishes from Lillian when she returned with their drinks.

"So", Blaine started and took a sip from his glass, "what you think about Dalton?"

"It's nice. The teachers are definitely more demanding than in McKinley, but I guess that was a given since the students here are on a whole different level compared to a public school"

"Are you worried about your grades?"

"Not really", Kurt said with a shrug, not even bothering to hide the pride in his voice. "I mean, I was probably one of the best students at McKinley and it's nice to get more challenges"

"That's good. How about Jonathan? He's rooming with you, so have you two gotten to know each other any better?"

"I don't see him that much", Kurt admitted, frowning. "I mean we sometimes exchange a word or two, but then he just gets really quiet or leaves. And he's always at the library or studying or something like that. He does seem nice though"

"Oh, he is definitely", Blaine assured with a warm smile, "He's just a bit shy about making new friends. It took Jeff and Nick ages to worm him out of his room freshman year. They actually had to stole his Alexander Dumas book collection, which made Jonathan really pissed. It was actually the first time anyone heard him shout"

"Wow, okay well, if I'm not interested in stealing any classic literature, what should I do?"

"Just ask him to tutor you in something. Like chemistry, you hate chemistry, right?" Blaine continued after Kurt nodded as a answer to his question. "He'll definitely say yes, and then you could like slip in a invitation to hang out with you sometime"

"This feels like I'm plotting to ask someone out", Kurt said thoughtfully and grinned at Blaine who chuckled.

"Maybe a little bit, but no pressure, Jonathan thinks you're great. And it's good if you manage to make new friends"

"I've already made one actually", Kurt said and drank a little of the cold drink to get rid of the dry feeling in his mouth.

"Really? Who?" Blaine asked in confusion and mild surprise.

"Ethan, that boy who I sang with at-"

"At Nick's party, I remember"

Kurt frowned at Blaine's clipped tone and shifted awkwardly on his seat before speaking again.

"He seems like a really nice person", Kurt said, sounding almost like he was trying to convince Blaine of something. "Nothing like the rumors say. Well, maybe he _is _a bit cocky, but he's not mean"

Blaine merely nodded stiffly at Kurt's words, not looking at the other boy, instead staring at the photographs on the wall like they were the most interesting thing in the whole world.

"Blaine? What are you thinking?" Kurt asked tentatively, moving his hand to put it over the one Blaine had resting on the table, but then he remembered where they were and settled for linking his ankle with Blaine's underneath the table.

"I'm just worried about you", Blaine said quietly and turned to look Kurt in the eyes. "I mean, you had it so hard back at McKinley and Dalton is supposed to be your safe place-"

"And it is", Kurt interrupted and smiled comfortingly, soothing Blaine's leg his foot, "Ethan won't do anything to hurt me, and if he would happen to, I promise this time I will tell you about it right away. You don't need to worry, okay?"

"Okay"

The boys smiled at each other, but then Blaine's face started to sober down and his eyes turned downcast.

"Speaking of McKinley", he began tentatively, "What really happened between you and Karofsky?"

Kurt's smile faltered, but he quickly forced it back on his face and tried to look confused.

"What do you mean?"

"Kurt. I've known you since forever. You do not get all fidgety and strange if someone is shoving you. And I saw your face that day when I came to pick you up, something happened in that locker room and I want to know what it was"

"Don't you think this is a rather inappropriate first date discussion?" Kurt said as his last, feeble attempt at making Blaine drop the topic.

"Kurt", Blaine said sternly and Kurt knew he'd lost the battle.

"Don't freak out", Kurt warned before he took a deep breath to calm himself down. "He kissed me"

Blaine's face froze and his eyes widened in shock. Kurt turned away to not see the look he knew Blaine was giving him. The same pitying one he was so used to receiving from everyone around him.

"Kurt, I- I had no idea-"

"It's fine now", Kurt answered with an annoyed undertone in his voice, though he tried to be nonchalant. This was not a part of his plans for their date.

"Did he- Did it hurt? I mean did he-", Blaine stuttered out only to be interrupted again.

"I ran after Karofsky when he shoved me to yell at him. In retrospect, that probably wasn't one of my brightest ideas, following a huge jock into a deserted locker room, but what's done is done. And then he just grabbed my face and kissed me without any warning"

Blaine was quiet, resting his head on his hands and gripping his hair in a very distressed way. Kurt opened and closed his mouth again and again to say something to return the two of them back to the mood they were on when the date had started. He couldn't think of anything.

"Kurt, if I'd known I wouldn't have- I wouldn't have kissed you like that at the wedding. I didn't say anything, I just did it and what if you'd had a panic attack or-"

"Blaine, Blaine!" Kurt took Blaine's hand in his despite the other diners and squeezed it tightly. "Look at me, I'm fine. I didn't have a panic attack, because it was you. I know you and I trust you, you would never do the same he did"

"But I-"

"Blaine, he was the same guy that has been bullying me for three years, of course I was shocked and scared when he kissed me. But I'm over it now", Kurt assured sternly but with gentleness in his voice. "Being kissed by you was so much better than that"

"But-"

"One more but, and I swear to god Blaine Anderson, I will kill you and everything you love", Kurt said jokingly and looked Blaine straight in the eyes with an unwavering look.

"Okay", Blaine finally said, but Kurt could still sense the light reluctance underneath.

"Hey, let's just enjoy the date, okay?" Kurt said with a soft smile as he squeezed Blaine's hand once more before letting go.

* * *

"Oh god, that was the best food I've ever had!" Kurt declared and leaned against the seat with a happy smile on his lips.

The dinner had gone pretty smoothly, the boys quickly slipping back to their easy, completely Karofsky-free conversation, though Blaine was still pretty shocked because of what he'd heard. It was weird finding something like that about Kurt, who had always told him everything.

Blaine smiled affectionately at the other boy, who was still rubbing his stomach happily, as he turned the keys and his car came to life.

"It was good, but those sand cakes you made when we were younger", Blaine said and feigned drooling, "those were pure perfection"

Kurt smacked Blaine's arm, but he was only barely containing his own grin. "Shut up", he mumbled.

"So, how about that moonlight walk?" Blaine asked, still smiling widely as he began to drive away from the restaurant parking lot.

"Yes, please"

Blaine nodded and soon they were already stopping at the side of the road across the street from the park Blaine considered was the best for their walk. He went around the car like he'd done at the restaurant parking lot and took Kurt's hand, only this time -encouraged by the darkness and nearly empty street- he pressed a kiss on his knuckles.

Kurt chuckled, but Blaine could still see the blush on his face in the lamppost's light.

"You're such a dork sometimes", Kurt said with a roll of his eyes as the two of them crossed the street.

"Maybe, but you're no better", Blaine said teasingly. "It wasn't me who suggested for us to dress up for _the Half-Blood Prince_ premier"

"Shut up, I looked great in that blonde wig. Oh, you did remember to buy us tickets for _the Deathly_ _Hallows_?"

Blaine snorted as if he was actually hurt by Kurt's words. "Please, I could never forget anything as important as Harry Potter. Not to mention you'd kill me if I did"

"That's true"

They boys kept up their playful banter while they talked about anything and everything that popped into their minds, their hands swinging happily between them as they walked. They soon reached the river by which the park was, the path going alongside with it, lampposts standing between small distances.

The city was alight and looked beautiful underneath the black sky. Kurt began to walk more slow as he and Blaine quieted down, the both of them gazing at their surroundings absentmindedly. Everything was so peaceful. They only heard distant sounds of dogs barking, and cars driving by.

After a moment Kurt turned to look at Blaine softly, but his eyes narrowed, attempting to look threatening when he noticed the excited and mischievous look on the boy's face.

"No, Blaine, I know what you're thinking, we're not gonna-"

_"Just you, just me, let's find a cozy spot where no one can see"_, Blaine sang, pulling Kurt in a dance position with him despite the other boy's feeble protests.

_"Just us, just we, we've missed an awful lot, what bless it'll be"_

Blaine kept singing and waltzing around with Kurt, who after a moment couldn't even pretend to be embarrassed or annoyed, and joined in the song with a laugh.

_"Just me, just you"_

_"Just you"_

_"Just me"_

_"A bit of paradise, right here for us two", _they sang together, grinning like complete idiots the whole time, but neither of them seemed to care.

They kept dancing, spinning each other around and giggling so much that they didn't even reach the end of the song before they were leaning against each other and shaking with laughter, with Blaine's face pressed against Kurt's neck, his hot breathes making Kurt tickle.

"Oh god", Blaine mumbled once he'd managed to calm down enough to talk. "This probably wasn't a part of the traditional date you had planned?"

"What ever do you mean?" Kurt answered, feigning shock and pressing a hand over his chest. "I thought everyone sings musical duets on their first date!"

Blaine laughed and buried his face back against Kurt's neck and breathed in deeply the scent, making Kurt shiver.

"Blaine.."

Blaine lifted his head up, no longer smiling so much as gazing deeply into Kurt's eyes in a way that made the other boy feel like he saw right inside him, where he kept all his insecurities and deepest fears and biggest dreams. And Kurt didn't mind one bit.

"I kind of want to kiss you right now", Blaine whispered, his eyes darting to Kurt's parted lips before lifting them back up.

"I kind of want you to", Kurt said, sounding much more breathless and a lot less flirty than he'd gone for.

Blaine's other hand flew up from Kurt's waist to tangle itself in the boy's hair, while Kurt's fingers groped the back of Blaine's sweater underneath his jacket. They sighed at the touch of their lips. Kurt hesitantly pushed his tongue out to touch Blaine's lower lip, asking for permission. Blaine complied by opening his mouth and letting Kurt push tentatively inside it, only barely managing to stifle the moan that was threatening to rise from his throat.

They didn't even seem to realize how long they spent tasting each other and humming to the kiss, before Blaine swiped his tongue against the back of Kurt's teeth, causing him to let out a tiny whine and nearly make his knees buckle. The boys' eyes opened and they hesitantly let go of each other.

"Wow, uh, we should probably-"  
"Yes, it's maybe for the best if we-"

They cleared their throats and averted each other's eyes while they willed themselves to calm down, before turning to smile shyly at each other.

"We should probably get back", Blaine said quietly. "The curfew is nearing"

"Yeah, we should", Kurt agreed and slipped his hand back into Blaine's.

* * *

"I had a great time", Blaine said as they stood behind his and Trent's door, fiddling with his and Kurt's entwined fingers with a happy smile.

"So did I", Kurt said softly, before a smirk rose on his face. "Did you have great time enough to start calling me your boyfriend?"

Blaine blushed at Kurt's bluntness, before a wide smile rose on his face. "I think I did"

"Good", Kurt mumbled and pressed a soft, lingering kiss on Blaine's expectant lips.

"Goodnight", Blaine breathed out, reluctantly letting go of Kurt's hand.

"Goodnight, _boyfriend_"

Blaine smiled after Kurt as he walked down the long hallway to his room's door, where he stopped to glance back at Blaine and blow him a kiss.

* * *

"I might be getting cavities from all the sweetness radiating from those two", Jeff mumbled, no too quietly to Nick who nodded in agreement beside him as they stared at the pair that was sitting on the common room couch.

Blaine's hand was wrapped around Kurt's shoulder as the two of them read the latest _Vogue_ together, smiling happily and stealing quick kisses. The room was nearly empty, only one's there with the four of them were two freshmen that were in the corner table, nearly crying over their English assignments and Jonathan who was -of course- reading in a armchair next to the fireplace where Nick and Jeff were lying on the floor.

"I know", Nick said and tilted his head to the side as he examined the couple. "It's like something from a Disney movie. Sickeningly perfect"

Jeff nodded furiously. "Exactly what I was thinking!"

"I think it's sweet", Jonathan said quietly and set his book down, smiling at Kurt and Blaine without them even noticing. "They're like from a romance novel. Two friends that have known forever, secretly yearning for each other, but only now they're admitting their feelings and their love is..", Jonathan froze when he noticed the skeptical looks on Jeff's and Nick's faces and huffed.

"Oh, like you weren't thinking about it", he said defensively and lifted the book back up.

"Seriously, are they like glued together?" Nick muttered, turning back to watch their friends.  
"From the hip?"  
"From the hands?"

"From the lips?" Nick and Jeff said in unison, making Jonathan roll his eyes behind his glasses.

"Guys?" Kurt called out, not lifting his eyes from the magazine.

"Yes, Kurt?"

"Shut up"

Jeff and Nick exchanged a quick look before scrambling up and jumping on the couch to sit in the laps of the little lovebirds.

"Oh, Kurtsie", Jeff sighed as he stroked Kurt's hair, ignoring his annoyed _'I'm going to kill you's, _"When did you become so full of anger?"

"Right about the moment you woke me up on my first morning here", Kurt mumbled, causing Blaine to laugh at the memory.

"Oh, how were we supposed to know you didn't like tarantulas?" Nick said with a roll of his eyes.

"Who the hell likes tarantulas when their crawling over their chest?!"

"Whoa, Kurtsie calm down, now", Jeff said warningly as the studying freshmen flinched at the sound of Kurt's scream. (Jonathan didn't react, a few years with Jeff and Nick kind of does that to a person.)

"Yeah, you don't want Blaine to _punish_ you", Nick joked, causing the two boys to blush a fair shade of pink.

"Absolutely. Who knows, maybe he'd _spank _you?" Jeff accompanied, as Blaine buried his face in his hands in embarrassment.

"You guys are horrible", Kurt muttered and kicked the two boys as they slid of the couch and back on the floor.

"You know you love us", the boys said proudly in unison.

Kurt rolled his eyes, but stopped when he felt his phone vibrating against his thigh. He pulled it out and read through the text he'd received.

_hi Kurt, i stole your phone and took your number when you weren't watching. sorry? anyway, would you like to come to the library asap. i need some help, and you mentioned your amazing french skills, so..? ps. yup i'm ethan_

"Who was it?" Blaine asked and leaned his head against Kurt's sleepily.

"Ethan. He asked if I could go help him with some French homework, I think", Kurt explained as he typed a reply.

"Oh"

Blaine didn't even bother to try to hide the concern on his face as Kurt turned to give him a reassuring smile.

"Hey, I told you, nothing to worry about, okay?"

"Okay", Blaine agreed quietly before Kurt gave him a gentle kiss.

"I'll see you later"

Blaine waved after Kurt as he left the common room, but he could still feel the worry in the pit of his stomach. What if Kurt was wrong? What if Ethan was exactly like the rumors made him out to be? What if he'd force a kiss on Kurt, or something worse? What if-

"Hey! Earth to Blaine!" Nick shouted, startling Blaine out of his thoughts.

"What?"

"I asked what's wrong", Nick repeated his earlier question and sat down next to Blaine with Jeff, both of them frowning. Even Jonathan had closed the book and was walking to them, looking equally worried as the two boys.

"Nothing. I just-"

"Blaine, you didn't 'just' ", Jeff said strictly. "You were staring after Kurt like he'd gotten a death sentence. What's wrong?"

Blaine sighed, realizing there was no way to avoid his friends' questions.

"If I tell you something, do you promise not to tell Kurt I did?" he said quietly and all three boys nodded, looking a bit confused.

"Okay, so that Karofsky guy, remember?"

"Oh, I remember", Nick said darkly as Jeff cracked his knuckles while Jonathan just nodded sadly.

"Apparently, he, uh.. He kissed Kurt. Without Kurt's consent"

"What?" Jeff hissed.

"Was Kurt assaulted?" Nick asked, his eyes wide with surprise and concern.

"And he told me he's fine now, but apparently he's been hanging out with Ethan Taylor", Blaine said quietly, giving the other boys a meaningful look.

"Taylor?" Nick repeated, "Why would he- what? Why?"

"And you're worried he'll try to pull something like Karofsky did?" Jonathan chimed in, watching Blaine's anxious face with compassion.

"Yes", Blaine answered.

Jeff and Nick leaned their heads against Blaine's shoulders and wrapped their arms around him, letting out sighs at the same time.

"Blaine, don't worry"

"Yeah, we'll make sure your Kurt is safe", Jeff assured and stroked Blaine's back gently as Jonathan smiled at him in encouragement.

"Thanks, guys", Blaine said and nudged the boys on his side and gave Jonathan a grateful smile. "You're the best"


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: once again, i haven't checked my spelling so well... try not to let it bother**

* * *

"No Jeff! There's no boogeymen in my room, I don't need you to walk me inside!"

Jonathan lifted his head up from where he was lying on his bed just in time to see Kurt slam the door shut and slide down on the floor while still leaning against it with a tired sigh.

"You okay?" Jonathan asked quietly and grabbed his glasses from the bedside table to see more clearly.

"Fine", Kurt muttered as he rubbed his eyes tiredly. "Jeff and Nick just are acting even more.. Jeff and Nick than usually"

For the past three days the two boys had stayed on Kurt's side like they were glued there, holding their arms straight out to poke people who in their words "came too close to Kurt's personal space". Apparently the two of them didn't apply to that, since they had nearly followed Kurt to the shower last night.

"Seriously, I'm one hundred percent sure that they'll soon start even chopping my food for me", Kurt continued and Jonathan smiled sympathetically at the boy.

_"That's an excellent idea!"_

_"Yeah, you might choke if you-Ow!"_

Nick's voice quieted down after Kurt stood up to give the door a hard kick, successfully knocking the boys standing behind it to the ground.

"Go to your room guys!" Kurt yelled and let out a frustrated grunt as he walked over to his bed and fell face first on it. His hair was already messy because of the amount of times he'd pulled it today in annoyance, and it stuck up even more after he ran his hands through it.

Jonathan couldn't help but to let out a soft giggle at his roommates rumpled appearance, but quickly fixed his mouth to a straight line when Kurt turned his head to glare at him.

"You think this is funny?"

"Well, it kind of is", Jonathan said, trying to keep from smiling too widely. "At least they're finally leaving me alone"

"Oh, yippee", Kurt mumbled, his voice dripping with sarcasm before burying his face back into the pillows.

"I'm sure they mean well", Jonathan said and leaned over the space between their beds to pat Kurt's back a little awkwardly. The two of them weren't exactly close, and it was still a bit hard for Jonathan to be spending time alone with Kurt, who was much more confident than him. He constantly felt like Kurt didn't even like him, that he was only ever spending time with him out of pity or because Blaine asked him to. Jonathan was trying though, and he'd gotten a lot better at acting 'normal'.

"What are you staring at?"

Jonathan's eyes flew away from the wall he'd been staring intensively while his head was mulling with the thoughts about Kurt, and he turned to face the other boy that was eyeing him in mild worry.

"I'm sorry I just.. zoned out", Jonathan apologized quickly and took his glasses off to wipe them with his shirt before lifting them back on his nose. "Did you say something?"

Kurt's eyebrows lifted in a way that showed he didn't fully believe Jonathan's explanation, but he didn't pry.

"I was just wondering if you have any idea what got those two acting so strange all of a sudden?"

Jonathan froze for a second, but quickly shook his head and started to fuss over his glasses again to keep from looking Kurt in the eyes. _God, I'm such a bad liar, _he thought.

"Oh, no. I-I haven't heard anything", Jonathan said, trying to sound as convincing as possible, which wasn't much, but it still seemed to work for Kurt who merely nodded and rolled on his side on the bed.

"God, I'm so tired", Kurt said with a yawn and slapped himself on the cheeks to stay awake. "I still have to rehearse for my audition and do my homework and call Mercedes..."

"I could help", Jonathan said shyly while biting his lip and wriggling with his hands nervously. This could be his chance to get to know Kurt a bit better.

"Really?" Kurt asked hopefully, on a visibly better mood then he'd been seconds ago.

"Yes, I can help you with the homework and maybe even with the audition? I mean mine was naturally pretty tame and boring, but I could still give you some hints?"

"You're in the Warblers?"

Jonathan noticed the surprise in Kurt's voice and he smiled at it. "I know, I don't really seem like the performing-type, do I?"

"I didn't mean to-", Kurt started with an ashamed blush, but got cut off quickly.

"It's okay, I know I don't. I tried the book club first, but I'd already read all the books and besides, no one even liked me there. I wasn't interested in any of the sports or acting, the band didn't want me and the chess club..", Jonathan shuddered at the memory and shook his head. "Well, let's just say that the nerdy geniuses are not as sweet as they seem to be"

Kurt frowned and smiled at the other boy in understanding.

"I know how it can be", Kurt said gently. "I didn't exactly have it easy back at McKinley either"

"I know"

"You do?"

Jonathan nodded and gave Kurt a small smile as he pulled his knees against his chest while sitting on his bed and facing the other where Kurt was still lying on his side.

"Yes. Blaine was really worried about you all the time. He was constantly telling us about your bullies and how much he wanted to be there to defend you"

Kurt blushed and turned his head down to hide the bashful grin on his lips. "That does sound like him"

Jonathan's smile only widened fondly at Kurt's reaction. "Yeah... You two are lucky to have each other"

Kurt smiled at his bedding before turning his head back up and shooting the other boy a polite smile.

"So uh, the audition?"

Jonathan immediately slipped into his teaching-mode and leaned on his back to reach a few papers that were inside his drawer. He handed them to Kurt, who straightened up on the bed and took a quick look at them before giving the other boy a look of confusion.

"What are these?"

"Oh, they're my, my notes I made for my audition. There's a few paragraphs from the school rulebook that are meant for the Warblers. And here..", Jonathan said and slid off of his bed to sit down next to Kurt on his, but making sure that he left enough space between them. "are some instructions on picking out your song"

"Oh.. wow, thank you", Kurt said with a grateful smile. "Could you maybe tell me more about the whole audition thing? I mean, Blaine tried to explain me the details, but then we, uh- got a bit distracted"

Jonathan let out a small giggle at Kurt's flushed face, but nodded happily.

"Okay so, first of all, to be able to audition for the Warblers, a person must be asked to do so by a current member. And once the audition is done, everyone else except for the performer and the person who asked him -in your case Blaine- are allowed to take part of the vote"

"So... you choose your members by voting?" Kurt asked and shrugged after Jonathan had nodded, "That sounds fair"

"Yes, it's a good system", Jonathan said a bit proudly before taking one of the papers from Kurt's lap. "Here I have listed all the basic rules you must obey during your audition. It includes, _no songs with crude language, no back-up singers _and_ no costumes._ Those are probably the most important ones"

"So I'm guessing I can't wear my Gaga costume from last year and sing _Love Game?_" Kurt asked feigning disappointment.

"Sadly no. But I'm sure the council wouldn't have minded seeing that", Jonathan chuckled and turned the paper around. "So, here are the things you must take into account if you want to get a good evaluation"

Kurt leaned a bit closer to Jonathan to quickly read through the list.

"_Posture_?", Kurt read and lifted his eyes up to give Jonathan a disbelieving look. "_Too much theatricality_? What does that even mean?"

"Well, I'm guessing that it means, no Gaga costumes and overdone performances", Jonathan explained, and continued when he noticed Kurt's confusion.

"Actually you could just press all these rules into one that says _"Don't stand out"_. You just need to impress the Warblers, but while doing so you must stay simple, approachable"

"But simple isn't exactly my thing", Kurt cut in with an uncertain smile. "I'm not me without my theatricality"

"Then you'll just have to tone it down. The Warblers do appreciate it if you bring out your own personality in your performances, but you have to be able to do it without rubbing it to their faces. I'm sorry, do you even understand what I'm trying to say? I'm not the best person to explain this-"

"No, Jonathan, it's okay. You're really helpful this is just.. a lot different from the New Directions"

Jonathan reached tentatively over to give Kurt's shoulder a squeeze and smiled sympathetically at him.

"This is not probably the thing you want to hear, but you'll get used to it"

Kurt sighed as he flipped through the rest of the papers, Jonathan sitting quietly beside him, but getting up when there was a knock on the door. He walked over to it and opened it to find Blaine standing behind it and giving him a small wave. The boy had already taken off his uniform and was now wearing a pair of jeans and a red t-shirt.

"Hi, can I come in?" he asked and flashed Kurt a smile over Jonathan's shoulder.

"Oh, yeah of course", Jonathan answered and stepped aside to let the boy in and walk right over to Kurt's bed where he leaned down to give him a soft kiss with a muttered hello.

"I think I'll go study in the common room", Jonathan said with a knowing smile as he watched the couple and grabbed his backpack from the coat rack to leave the room.

"Wait, what about my homework?" Kurt asked, but Jonathan had already closed the door.

_"Let Blaine help you!" _the boy shouted from other side as Kurt listened his retreating footsteps.

"Well, that's not going to happen", Kurt mumbled at Blaine, who had moved behind him and wrapped his arms around Kurt's torso while he nuzzled his nose against Kurt.

"Mmm, probably not", Blaine agreed and pressed a soft kiss against the back of Kurt's neck, "I'm too distracted right now"

"Blaine", Kurt warned, "I really need to get my homework done"

"Can't it wait a few more minutes?"

"No, Blaine", Kurt said softly and pulled away from the other boy. He pressed a quick kiss against Blaine's pouting lips before turning around to get his satchel.

Blaine went to lie on Kurt's bed on his stomach and picked up the papers that were sitting there, quickly eyeing them through.

"Jonathan was helping you with your audition?" he asked and held up the papers as Kurt returned to the bed and settled next to Blaine.

"Yeah, he gave me some instructions"

"Are you nervous?"

"A bit", Kurt admitted and pulled his books out of the satchel starting with his French homework.

"There's no need for that. You'll be amazing as always", Blaine mumbled and pressed a kiss on Kurt's cheek.

"Someone's clingy", Kurt teased and turned to give Blaine a suspicious look. "What are you plotting?"

"Nothing. Can't I just be happy to see my boyfriend and be jealous of the attention he's giving to his homework?"

Kurt rolled his eyes before returning back to the book, but couldn't help the smile tugging at the corners of his lips. The word _boyfriend _when it came from Blaine and was directed at him would probably not stop making his stomach flip pleasantly for a while. Blaine seemed to sense this because he smiled softly and pressed himself even closer to Kurt, leaning his head against his shoulder with a happy sigh.

* * *

Kurt was literally shaking with a weird mixture of anticipation and nervousness. He could do nothing more but to stare at the door in front of him, frozen with the fear of throwing up. It wasn't even rational of him. He'd been a member of the New Directions, he'd had to audition then and he'd been a part of performances without ever feeling like this.

"Don't worry, you'll do great", Jonathan assured from his side and nudged him gently.

Kurt took a deep breath before opening the doors to the Warbler's rehearsing space and stepping inside with Jonathan. To his surprise everyone was standing up, and doing back up while Blaine, standing in the middle of the room, turned around and began singing.

_"You think I'm pretty without any make-up on, you think I'm funny when I tell the punchline wrong. I know you get me, so I let my walls come down, down"_

The Warblers were all moving in time of the beat doing their side-stepping and twirls as Blaine had his own little show going on. He danced around the room, staring at Kurt through the entire song, smiling widely the way that made the corners of his eyes crinkle while Kurt was blushing under all of the attention.

_"Let you put your hands on me in my skintight jeans, be your teenage dream tonight", _they sang the last words before Kurt started clapping and everyone went to take their seats, while Blaine walked close to Kurt to pretend to be smoothing down the lapels of his blazer.

"I convinced them to run through the number though we perfected it like a month ago", Blaine said quietly and gave Kurt a conspiratorial look. "I wanted to wish you good luck"

"Thank you", Kurt mouthed and returned Blaine's smile happily, wanting nothing more than to press a kiss on his lips to thank him.

"Kurt Hummel, will you step forth please", said a dark haired boy from behind the desk he was sitting with David and Wes. Kurt remembered Blaine having mentioned his name before, but not remembering it right now.

"I'm Thad, and you already know Wes and David. We are the three heads of the council, but don't worry everyone gets their say in the vote. The choice won't be only up to us"

Kurt nodded in understanding and Thad gave him an encouraging smile.

"So, Kurt, what do you have planned for us today?" David asked leaning forward in his seat.

"I'm going to sing the cover of The Beatles' _I want to hold your hand_ from the musical _Across the Universe_", Kurt answered, glad that his voice wasn't shaking anymore.

"Sounds great. The stage is yours"

Kurt nodded again before walking to the side of the room where no one was sitting and turning around to face his audience. Jeff and Nick gave him a thumbs up, while Jonathan and Blaine shoot him excited smiles. Kurt closed his eyes for a second and took a deep breath before pressing play on the boombox the Warblers had in the room and beginning to sing.

_"Yeah, I´ll tell you something,__I think you´ll understand__. __When I say that something__, __I wanna hold your hand"_

After he'd sung the first lines, Kurt could immediately feel the change in himself. The remnants of his nervousness that hadn't already been washed off by Blaine's performance, we're slipping out of his body. He felt like he had felt back in McKinley during every solo that he'd ever gotten.

He let his voice grow stronger, stretching it to hit the high notes perfectly, as he enjoyed himself being the center of attention. This was what he loved to do. His earlier worry seemed even more stupid as he opened his eyes he hadn't even noticed closing, to see everyone staring at him intently with surprise written all over their faces.

Kurt gave Blaine a small glance while he was singing, and felt his smile widening when he saw the proud and awed look on his boyfriend's face.

_"Yeah you, got that something__, __I think you´ll understand__. __When I feel that something,__I wanna hold your hand__, __I wanna hold your hand__, __I wanna hold your hand", _Kurt finished the song softly, the last note hanging in the air before it faded and everything became quiet.

Kurt was starting to get nervous under the gazes of the others, but then someone let out a whispered 'wow', and everyone went crazy. The boys stood up to applaud him and Jeff and Nick flung themselves at him, catching him into a bone-crushing hug.

"Okay everyone, settle down, settle down", Wes raised his voice to command the boys to sit back down as he banged the gavel in his hand, but not before giving Kurt a pleased smile.

"Thank you Kurt, for your audition", Thad said politely before gesturing towards the door with his hand. "Now if you and Blaine would kindly leave the room while we go over your performance. We'll come get you when we're done"

"Okay. Thank you", Kurt said and flashed him a wide smile before taking Blaine's hand as the boy walked over to him.

The two of them walked out of the room and into the hallway where Blaine wasted no time in attaching his lips to Kurt's and grabbing the boy's face gently with his hands.

"You-were-freaking-amazing", he mumbled between kisses, making Kurt laugh against his lips.

"Your performance wasn't bad either", Kurt said and gave Blaine a more softer, slower kiss that they both smiled into.

"Thank you. It really helped me to relax", he continued, a little out of breath after the kiss, and smiled at the other boy.

"No problem. C'mon, they might take a while", Blaine said and took Kurt's hand to pull him further from the rehearsing room's door and down the hallway into the library, which was stretched between all three of the school building's floors.

The table behind which the librarian usually sat was empty, and only a few students were sitting at the tables lined up, probably studying for some assignments. Blaine lead Kurt between the shelves until they reached a corner where an old looking dark green armchair was waiting for them.

Blaine flopped down on it and pulled Kurt to sit with him, so that his legs were in Blaine's lap while he sat on the armrest, both still smiling happily at each other.

"So, you think I got in?" Kurt asked taking one of Blaine's curls between his fingers and toying with it absentmindedly.

"Got in? Kurt, I'm worried that I'll lose my place as the lead singer because of that performance"

"Oh, you should be", a sudden voice interrupted the two of them and they turned their eyes to see Ethan and his 'friends' leaning on one of the shelves close to them.

"At least from what I heard when I was _practicing_ with him", Ethan said twisting the word in his mouth and causing his friends to laugh out loud. "He can really hit those high notes, can't he?" he said and took a step closer towards the two of them, throwing a look at his friends over his shoulder.

"W-what are you talking about, Ethan?" Kurt asked, confused by the whole situation.

He looked into Ethan's eyes, asking for explanation and for a moment he swore he could see a small flicker in Ethan's smirk, his eyes turning to something else from their teasing coldness. But the moment was gone as soon as it had appeared.

Kurt could feel how tight the grip Blaine had on his waist was becoming and he turned to give his red-faced, very angry boyfriend a worried look, before turning back to Ethan and his friends with the best bitch-face he could muster at the moment.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, but I think it's best if you and your band of baboons leave us alone right now"

The four boys behind Ethan's back laughed even louder and one of them went to grab Ethan by the shoulder and pull him away.

"Yeah, it's okay Ethan", he said throwing Kurt and Blaine an amused glance, "you can give him your _congratulatory gift_ later"

The boys left, still laughing and high-fiving each other, but right before they disappeared between the shelves Ethan turned his head to give Kurt a desperate look and a mouthed sorry. Kurt stared after them, still not sure what the hell had just happened before he heard Blaine speaking.

"Nothing like the rumors make him out to be, huh?" he huffed out angrily, not looking at Kurt.

Kurt could suddenly feel panic bubbling under his skin and he quickly grabbed Blaine's hand in his and squeezed it tightly to get the boy's attention. "Blaine he wasn't speaking the truth! I've done nothing like that with him!"

"Of course I know that Kurt!", Blaine said turning to Kurt with an annoyed frown. "I just don't understand why were you defending him, saying that he's nice when that's how he acts"

"I swear, he's never talked to me like that", Kurt said and Blaine calmed down a little when he heard the sincerity in his voice.

"Maybe he's just pretending around you", Blaine suggested, but quickly took on a defensive face when Kurt glared at him. "Why is it so important to you to think that he's not a douche?"

"I don't know", Kurt answered truthfully, but then bit his lip deep in thought. "I guess I just.. I had so many rumors going around about me in McKinley, and everyone had these opinions about me, though they'd never even talked to me. I don't anyone to be judged like I was"

"Kurt, you do realize that though that was what happened to you, not everyone's the same", Blaine said tentatively and laced his fingers with Kurt's.

"I know, but.. he can't.. he didn't seem like that at all Blaine. I mean, he was almost crying when he told about lovers from the nineteen thirties for crying out loud!"

"Okay Kurt, I understand that you.. want to believe in Ethan or whatever, and I don't want to be the jackass boyfriend who tells you to stop spending time with him. And I know that you'll want to go and demand an explanation from him, because that's just like you. But please", Blaine said and looked Kurt straight in the eyes, "be careful around him. I don't want anything bad happening to you"

Kurt couldn't help but to smile at Blaine's tone, and he leaned in to give him a small peck on the lips.

"You're always so stupidly overprotective", he mumbled as Blaine chuckled quietly.

"C'mon let's head back", Blaine said and pushed Kurt up with him. "It's time to get you officially welcomed to the Warblers"


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: sorry for not updating as fast as usually. i was having a minor writer's block. But i'm back, yay (?)  
this will again be a short chapter, but next up is sectionals, so that should make up for this one. sorry!**

* * *

"Don't take this the wrong way, but you're not very into fashion are you?"

Jonathan looked down at his sweater and worn jeans with a small blush. Kurt was sitting next to him hunched over his chemistry book as he tried to study for his exam, but at the moment his attention was far more focused on the mismatched socks Jonathan was wearing.

"No, I- I'm really not. I mean I'd like to wear something else, but I have no idea what. I kind of suck with these kind of stuff", Jonathan admitted, running his hand through his messy hair.

Kurt straightened his back on the chair he was sitting on and took a contemplating look on his face as he eyed Jonathan.

"I could help you", he offered with a kind smile, "I mean you're helping me with chemistry, so maybe I could repay by going shopping with you?"

"Oh, you don't have to-"

"No, I want to"

Jonathan smiled shyly back at Kurt before giving a small nod. "Okay, thank you"

"Anytime"

The boys then returned back to Kurt's studying, Jonathan trying to explain different formulas and concepts Kurt couldn't understand, but he was trying hard if the creases on his forehead were any indication. He'd gotten a little side-tracked from his studies when he'd become a member of the Warblers. Everyone in the group was excited about his voice, calling it their secret weapon, and he'd gotten a lot of apologies for it being too late to get him a solo for sectionals.

Yes, he'd been pulled around by everyone, suddenly becoming much more popular than he'd ever been in McKinley. People wanted to sit with him at lunch, and one very shy sophomore even asked him for an autograph because _"he just knew Kurt would become famous someday". _It was all very flattering as much as it was exhausting.

Kurt sighed tiredly and put down the pen he'd been twirling with and turned to look out of the common room's window. The clouds were gray where they were hanging over the sky, and only a few students were outside, already running back inside to save their clothes from getting wet in the rain that would soon start falling. All except for one.

"Do you want to take a break?" Kurt asked quickly, turning back to Jonathan, who raised his eyes from the notebook he'd been writing notes in.

"Uh, sure. I'll just wait here"

Kurt flashed the boy a thankful smile before getting up from the table and jogging out of the common room and down the stairs. He pushed open the door, and looked quickly around himself, trying to see where the boy had went. He spotted a distant figure walking towards the lake and hurried after it.

"Ethan!" he shouted as he ran after the boy, his shoes slipping on the damp grass.

"Taylor!" he repeated, and this time the boy did slow down and turn around with a surprised face.

"Kurt?" he started when the boy had reached him, "What are you-?"

"Shut- up", Kurt panted leaning against his knees before straightening back up and pointing a finger at Ethan.

"You. What the hell was that thing in the library about?" he said angrily, but didn't give Ethan a chance to speak before continuing. "I understand that we haven't had a proper conversation for more than like three times, but I never thought you'd act like such a prick"

"Kurt, I swear I didn't mean to", Ethan said quietly, clearly ashamed of himself.

"You didn't mean to?" Kurt repeated disbelievingly and huffed in annoyance. "That's got to be the worst of the explanations I was expecting "

"No, I really didn't. The guys just saw you, and they kinda.. think that you slept with me, so they were pushing me to come talk to you"

Kurt stared at Ethan with wide eyed disbelief that slowly turned into anger.

"Okay, first of all, what the hell?!" Kurt nearly shouted, making Ethan flinch at the sound of his voice, "And second of all, we're not ten, Ethan! We don't have to do anything are friends tell us to"

"I know, but Kurt can you please let me explain?" Ethan pleaded.

"Why do you think I ran all the way here?" Kurt answered with a huff. "But some simple excuse is not going to cut it. I want a proper apology and a valid explanation"

"Of course", Ethan agreed before taking a look at the sky above them.

"You know, it's going to start raining soon. Do you mind if we go somewhere more dry?"

"Fine. We can go to my room"

* * *

The rain was falling, drops of water drumming on the roofs as Blaine ran across the lawn to the dorm, holding his blazer over his head. Thad and his goddamn inner perfectionist had kept him trapped in the hallway with him for god knows how long after the last class, only because the council (meaning Thad) was having second thoughts about their song selections. Blaine nearly slipped on the muddy grass and cursed loudly when his lost his grip on the blazer and it fell to the ground.

Hee groaned in frustration, nearly kicking the piece of clothing on the ground but lifted it up to examine the damage instead. The back of the blazer had brown stains all over it, of course not to mention the fact that it was already wet. Blaine figured it was for the best if he'd ask Kurt help with cleaning it, as he walked the last remaining steps to the dorm door and stepped inside, shaking his head like a dog to get the water off of his hair.

"Blaine!"

Blaine frowned at the voice. It was definitely Jeff's, but it wasn't the usual overly-excited-puppy-welcoming-his-master-back-home voice it usually was. It resembled more of a hiss.

"Jeff? Is something wrong?" Blaine asked and climbed up the stairs where Jeff was standing, a weird wide-eyed look on his face.

"Ethan's here", Jeff answered in a quiet whisper, eyeing the floor above them, "Like, in Kurt's room. Why's he here?"

Blaine's eyebrows shot up in surprise and he too threw a look at the ceiling, sneaking closer to Jeff as if the people upstairs could hear them.

"He is?"

"Yeah, Kurt practically dragged him in. Looked pretty pissed, if you ask me"

"Kurt looked pissed, or Ethan looked pissed?"

"Kurt. Kept muttering something to himself", Jeff said, giving Blaine a panicked look. "You don't think he's going to kill Ethan? I mean, I don't like the guy, but just.. that would be kinda hard to keep a secret"

Blaine couldn't help but to chuckle before patting Jeff in the back and taking a few steps into the direction of the common room and pulling the other boy with him.

"They're probably just talking", Blaine assured, "You won't have to hide any bodies, I promise. Now let's go, I need to get my socks dry"

* * *

"So, are you going to speak anytime soon or did the sea witch steal your voice when I wasn't looking?" Kurt asked, leaning back against the couch he was sitting on and tapping the ground impatiently with his foot.

Ethan looked up from where he was sitting on the edge of Kurt's bed, eyeing the photographs on his bedside table and offered the other boy a sheepish smile.

"Yeah, I was just- You have a nice room", Ethan complimented, attempting to lighten the mood.

"Thanks. You know, yours is just like it"

"Oh. Yeah, I-I guess it is"

Kurt huffed in annoyance and rolled his eyes and got up on the couch to take a few steps towards the door."Look, if you just came here to sit and look awkward you are free to leave"

"No, just... ask me something", Ethan said quickly, making Kurt's hand pause over the knob.

"What?"

"Ask me something. Anything you want to know, it's kinda hard to just start talking"

Ethan sat quietly, waiting for Kurt to return to his previous seat on the couch. Kurt walked back and sat down, sighing loudly as he placed his hands on his knees.

"Okay fine.. Well, how about, 'why are you acting like your personality is split?'" Kurt asked, smiling in an overly sweet way.

Kurt could see the small smile tugging at Ethan's lips before the boy answered.

" You remember when I mentioned earlier that Dalton is just like any other high school? That's why. The people who rule in here are the guys with rich parents and bad manners"

"Well, that doesn't apply to everyone and even I know that", Kurt cut in, making Ethan shrug his shoulders.

"I'm not saying that Blaine and his fellow Warblers aren't well-liked. But, it's not exactly the same", Ethan said, shifting on the bed to get into a better position before continuing. "You see those guys who I hang out with, they never get shit from anyone. Mainly because everyone knows just how much of a dickheads they are, and that they'd probably just hire a kick-ass lawyer to get you thrown out of the school if you ever messed with them"

"I thought this school didn't tolerate bullying in any form", Kurt interrupted again, starting to get really annoyed with Ethan. Really, he was getting nothing out of the boy.

"Kurt, do you really think that's possible?" Ethan said and let out a humorless laugh. "Putting a bunch of teenagers together, and not to have them emotionally scar each other? I do admit that most of the crap in this school comes from the people I hang out with, but please let me explain.

Have you seen those few boys around the school, that are always alone, pretty much flinching at every sound?"

Kurt nodded when he realized Ethan was waiting for an answer, still a bit confused about what the boy was trying to say.

"When I first heard about this school, that was me. I was scared, bullied, not nearly as hot as I'm nowadays", Ethan added with a wink -which just received a very bitchy look from Kurt, "and pretty much just dirt to everyone at school and.. well at home too. Getting outed at a public school full of assholes, you know how it can be. And when I saw Dalton's webpage I just knew I had to come here. So, I wrote them an essay about my crappy life to get a scholarship, and what do you know; I got in. When I came here the first time, I pretty much saw this place as a fairytale castle; a safe place, where no one could hurt me. I was thrilled"

"But..?" Kurt edged Ethan to keep talking after the boy had quieted.

"Well, I got to spend a few hours just walking around the school. Then I started noticing that something was going on. The boy that was showing me the grounds was here on a scholarship too, and... well, he wasn't made from the same mold as all the rich kids were. These guys started following us around at some point of the day and the boy got super nervous because of it. When I saw him later that day, it was when he was trying to fish his eyeglasses out of the toilet.

He was honest and told me how it was. That in Dalton, you have to fit in to survive, be like everyone else. I was terrified, of course. A poor little boy like me, escaping from my bullies to a place that turned out to be not as great and safe as I'd thought. So after the summer, I had done some more exercise to look more for the part and I started acting more like everyone else, like little Mister Cocky and Arrogant. I didn't want to go through the same hell I'd been suffering in before, so I rather became one of the devils"

The room was quiet. Kurt was still trying to process all of the information he'd received and Ethan was in the middle of staring at his hands while trying to look calm.

"Kurt, I know that probably is not very convincing to you", Ethan said quietly, pulling the boy's attention back to him. "I mean, you got crap at your old school -yeah, pretty much everyone's heard about that", he added when he saw the confused look on Kurt's face, "but still you're like.. that", Ethan finished with a smile and gestured towards Kurt.

"You just seem so brave and you're not afraid of being yourself. I mean, it's probably hard for you to understand why I did what I did, I guess just seemed like my only option at the time. I haven't had the easiest time in my life and I was just trying to protect myself. I hope you won't judge me because of it"

Kurt was quick to shake his head at Ethan as he tried to find the words to say what he wanted.

"No I, I won't judge you. It's just.. You're right, I don't completely understand your reasons, but I think that on some level, I can see why you act like you do", Kurt said quietly and gave the other boy an uncertain smile.

Ethan returned the gesture with a wide smile and rubbed the back of his head a bit awkwardly before speaking again.

"So, uh.. are things good? Between us? I meant what I said back then, I really do want to be your friend"

Ethan was looking hopeful and so annoyingly vulnerable, that Kurt felt like he had no choice but to nod.

"But", Kurt said quickly and lifted his finger up to stop Ethan from opening his mouth, "I still think we need to do some more talking"

* * *

When the door to the hallway opened, Nick and Jeff ran down the stairs as quickly and nonchalantly as they could, trying to hide the fact that they had been standing outside Kurt's door and trying to hear what he and Ethan were talking about. Sadly they'd been too damn quiet for the duo to hear anything, so they had to return to the common room empty-handed.

Blaine was sitting on the couch listening to his iPod (a playlist called _Songs I need to sing to Kurt, _which is totally not creepy_) _and the two boys sat down next to him, pretending like they'd been there all along. When Blaine noticed the two of them coming down, he turned his head and pulled the other earphone off to see Kurt and Ethan walking down the stairs and then standing by the door to the common room talking quietly.

Kurt laughed when Ethan leaned over to give him a fast hug, before turning his eyes quickly to Blaine, Nick and Jeff, and saying something to Ethan. The other boy responded by shaking his head as he too threw a glance towards the boys on the couch. Blaine was frowning, having no clue what the two of them were talking about, but his face soon split into a grin when Kurt and Ethan said goodbye to each other and Kurt immediately skipped over to him with a smile on his face.

"Hi"

"Hi", Blaine greeted happily and lifted his arm up as an invitation for Kurt to sit next to him.

Kurt sat down and Blaine wrapped his arm around his shoulder and pressed a quick kiss on his cheek, making the other boy let out a small happy sigh before he pressed himself closer against his boyfriend's side.

"So what did you two talk about?" Blaine asked as he took the other earphone off as well, and closed his iPod.

"He apologized for his behavior in the library", Kurt said, sounding pretty indifferent in Blaine's ears, and rested his head against Blaine's shoulder as he closed his eyes.

"So.. Are you two in speaking terms again?"

Blaine felt Kurt nod against his shoulder before he pushed his nose further against his neck and yawned sleepily.

"Yeah, he explained some things to me, and I guess you could say we now have a better understanding of each other"

"Oh", Blaine mumbled, a slight frown on his face. "So, what did he- what did he tell you?"

"Well, he's not as bad as he seems like, I promise. It's a bit of a long and boring story to tell", Kurt answered after a moment of pause, before lifting his head up and pecking Blaine on the lips.

"I think I'll go back to my room to finish my homework", he said and pushed himself of the couch. He walked over to Jonathan, who was still sitting near the window, and gathered their books with him before leaving the room together.

Blaine squinted his eyes thoughtfully and lifted his hand up to point after Kurt. "Was he-?"

"Avoiding the subject?" Nick provided.  
"Yes", Jeff confirmed, not lifting his eyes from his nails he was inspecting.

For a moment Blaine thought about walking upstairs after Kurt and asking him to tell what he and Ethan had exactly been talking about, but he decided against it. If it had been something important Kurt would've surely told him, right?

Right?


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: it seems that i have lost some of the people that at least used to read this. sorry everyone, but i've been really tired lately and you can probably see it in my writing... so if you're interested in reading this story any further would you mind leaving a review or something to let me know that there's at least someone who wants more :) okay, thank you!**

* * *

Blaine was lying in his bed, drifting between sleep and awareness, but he was pulled out of it when the warm body his chest had been against slithered out of his grasp. He opened his eyes and rubbed them tiredly to see Kurt sneaking towards the bathroom, trying to avoid stepping on any of their sleeping friends, who had stayed after the movie marathon they had had last night.

"What're you doing?" Blaine asked sleepily, and smiled in amusement at the boy that nearly tripped on Wes when he heard the voice.

"I thought you were asleep", Kurt whispered back, still a bit startled.

"I was. You woke me up", Blaine said and pulled a pout on his face while extending his arms towards the other boy and making grabbing motions. "Get back here, I'm cold"

"Not now. Just wait a second", Kurt giggled at the look on his boyfriends face and jumped over Nick and Jeff that were the last boys on his way to the bathroom.

Blaine turned on his back and let out a yawn before sitting up and glancing around the room. Trent was sleeping on his own bed, snoring soundly and holding the care bear Nick had somehow gotten him tightly against his chest. The couch was occupied by Jonathan, and Blaine winced when he saw the position he was sleeping in. The boy's head was hanging over the armrest in a way that was definitely painful for his neck, and the boy had apparently forgotten to take his glasses off too.

Wes and David had fallen asleep on the floor over a stack of pillows Nick and Jeff had stolen from the supply closet for their pillow fight with the two boys, while the latter pair was sleeping wrapped up in a blanket with their arms tightly around each other in front of the bathroom door where Kurt had disappeared.

Blaine was already changing into his uniform, his slacks already on and only a few buttons of his shirt undone when Kurt stepped into the room, his hair done and Blaine's razor in his hands.

Blaine opened his mouth to ask about the object, but Kurt merely lifted a finger on his lips and pointed at the two boys under the blanket before lifting the razor up and pretending to shave his eyebrows.

"Why?" Blaine mouthed, trying to look like he didn't find the idea funny at all -which, let's face it, was pretty hard.

"Revenge. Tarantula", Kurt answered quietly, an evil glint in his eyes as he crouched down next to Nick and Jeff and began to extend the hand that was holding the razor closer to the shorter boy's face.

"Boo!"

Kurt let out an embarrassing shriek and dropped the razor as the two boys flung themselves at him and knocked him down to the floor. Nick grabbed his wrists and pinned them over his head as Jeff clucked his tongue disapprovingly at Kurt beside him.

"Aww, poor Kurtsie", the boy said with pity in his voice, "I guess no one told you that we have superior threat-detecting senses compared to you mortals"

"And because of the seriousness of your attempted face-maiming", Nick continued with a sweet smile, ignoring Kurt's struggle against his hold and the sound of Blaine's laughter from behind him. "We must punish you"

Nick let go of Kurt's wrists only to push them against his sides at the same time as Jeff and start tickling the boy, who was trashing around on the floor and giggling uncontrollably. Everyone else had already been awoken by the noises the three of them were making, and they all were watching their fighting with wide grins and light chuckles.

"Ph-Please! Mercy! Blah-Blaine, save me!"

"Your boyfriend won't be able to help you now, prisoner Hummel!"

"P-Please, stop! Ah-anyone, help me!"

Surprisingly the person who rushed to Kurt's aid was Jonathan, who grabbed Nick by the waist and caused the two of them to tumble down from where the boy had been kneeling beside Kurt. Even Jeff was so amazed by the small boy, that he didn't notice Kurt lifting his hands up before they were already on his chest and pushing him off.

"Freedom!"

Jonathan took Kurt's hand to help him up and Kurt immediately pulled the boy into a tight hug.

"Oh, my savior!" Kurt sobbed overdramatically as Jonathan giggled. "Thank you for saving me!"

"It's fine. My pleasure", Jonathan said as he pulled out of the hug to straighten his glasses and take a look at the alarm clock Trent had on his bedside table.

"We should probably go get ready. The bus is leaving in at ten thirty"

"Yeah, I should probably iron my shirt", Kurt mumbled thoughtfully before walking over to Blaine and pulling him into a kiss by grabbing the tie the boy had just finished tying.

"Make me some breakfast please?"

"Of course", Blaine answered and leaned back in to give Kurt another small peck.

* * *

"Are you nervous?"

Kurt shrugged and switched the song he and Blaine had been listening to _Bad Romance. _Gaga always got him in the right mindset for competitions.

"Not really. I mean I have performed before, and I don't have any solos or anything. I'm just worried that I'll forget my steps because I didn't practice them as long as the rest of you"

"You'll do fine", Blaine assured with a grin, "And it wouldn't matter if you messed up, because my amazing skills will carry us to victory"

"Oh, what did I do to deserve someone as modest and charming as you", Kurt said teasingly, "Besides, I wouldn't be so sure. I happen to know that the New Directions have decided to switch things up a little bit, and it might give them something new to their performance"

"Oh really now? Have you told them about _our_ plans then? Are you just a sneaky little spy?" Blaine countered and tapped Kurt's nose with his finger.

"I'm afraid I can't answer that question"

The boys chuckled and Kurt's lips curled into a soft smile when Blaine leaned forward to kiss him.

"Oh god.."

"Wes! They're doing it again!"

"Blaine, Kurt, we all think you're a lovely couple, but it will be hard for you to sing if your tongues are still lost in each other's throats!" Wes shouted from the front of the bus where he was already discussing about regionals with Thad.

Blaine pulled away from the kiss with reluctance and a tired sigh, but flashed Kurt a smile before returning back to his previous position.

"So, is your dad coming? Or Carole?" he asked as he took Kurt's hand in his and started fiddling with his fingers.

"I think Carole is coming. Dad said he had a lot to do at the shop today, so he won't be able to make it. Any particular reason why you're asking?"

"Yes, actually", Blaine said with a smirk on his face. "I need to talk to them about something"

"What?" Kurt asked curiously, but Blaine just shook his head.

"Nope, can't tell you. It's a secret"

"Come on. Seriously, tell me!" Kurt whined with a pout, but Blaine was persistent. "I hate you, you know that?"

"I hate you too, baby", Blaine answered and pressed a kiss on Kurt's cheek, oblivious to Kurt's gaping mouth.

"What?" he asked when he noticed the blush on Kurt's cheek and the slightly surprised look on his face.

"You- uh, you called me 'baby'", Kurt said with a disbelieving chuckle, causing Blaine's eyes to widen.

"I- I guess I did.. Crap, was it weird?" he asked and hid his face with the hand that wasn't holding Kurt's.

"No, no, Blaine", Kurt laughed and pulled the hand away to look into Blaine's eyes. "It's okay. I mean, as long as I get to call you with pet names too", he added with a smirk.

"Well, good. I almost panicked there for a second", Blaine chuckled. "So, what names do you have?"

**"**How about... muffin? Or honey? Or sugarplum? Or Little Kumquat? Cutie Patootie?"

"Now you're just making fun of me", Blaine said matter-of-factly while Kurt feigned hurt.

"I do not, my little fudge nugget!"

"Oh god, please stop!" Nick cried out from the seat behind them.

"Just get back to making out, this is even worse than that!" Jeff whined with his hands in front of his eyes.

Kurt laughed and leaned over the back of the seat to ruffle the two boys' hair.

"Don't be such babies", he said and giggled when the boys answered by sticking their tongues out at him.

"Guys", Wes tried to shout over the noise in the bus, but let out a frustrated huff when no one heard him. "Guys!"

The second time he spoke everyone turned to look at him with expectant eyes.

"Thank you. There's only a few more minutes left before we're at the venue, so I'd like to take this opportunity to keep a little pep talk"

Mumbles of _'oh dear god, no'_ and _'is it safe to jump from a moving bus', _rose from the other boys, but Wes ignored and launched on into a speech about practice, their songs and how ready he thought they all were for the first place. No one was really listening until they noticed the bus had stopped and Wes flashed them a nervous smile.

"Okay then. Let's go win sectionals!"

* * *

The Warblers had been raffled to perform second and they'd arrived an hour before the competition even started, so all of them had a lot of spare time. Thad had tried to convince them to run through their numbers for the fifth time, but everyone was already out of the doors by the time he'd finished his sentence.

Kurt left with Jonathan and Blaine towards the small cafe in the lobby to get something warm to drink for making sure their voices would be safe. When they arrived to the counter Kurt spotted a familiar short brunette sitting alone on one of the stools.

"I'll have lemon tea, okay?" he said to Blaine, who turned his eyes to where Kurt was looking before smiling widely.

"Okay, we'll join you two soon"

Kurt squeezed Blaine's hand briefly before walking off to Rachel and tapping her shoulder with his index finger.

"Why is a beautiful young woman like yourself sitting here all alone?"

"Kurt?" Rachel exclaimed and jumped up to squeeze the boy into a tight hug. "I missed you!"

"I missed you too, sweetie", Kurt laughed and patted the girl's back before the two of them sat down.

"So how are you-", Rachel's question was cut off when Kurt's phone started ringing.

Kurt smiled apologetically as he fished the phone out of his pocket and lifted it to his ear.

"Hello?"

_"Hi, hot stuff"_

"Ethan? Hi, what's going on?" Kurt said, ignoring Rachel who was mouthing Ethan's name with a look of confusion on her face.

_"I just wanted to wish you good luck before your performance. Not that you need it of course, you guys are amazing. Especially you"_

"Well, thank you. I must agree that if I was singing, this thing would be in the bag already", Kurt said smugly, eliciting a small chuckle from the boy.

_"Naturally. Hey, by the way, Christmas is coming up"_

"Yes?"

_"So I was wondering if you would like to come to this Christmas party. It's at one of my friend's house"_

"Oh.. Ethan I don't know, if I-"

_"It's not some crazy drunk party", _Ethan assured. _"And the guy whose house the party is at is actually pretty cool. You can bring Blaine, if you'd like?"_

Kurt glanced at the register where Blaine was already handing the salesgirl money for their drinks.

".. I'll think about it, okay?"

_"Of course, talk about it with Blaine or something. You don't have to come, I just thought it could be fun"_

"Yeah, I'll talk to you later okay?"

_"Okay. Good luck again. I wuv you!"_

"Bye, Ethan", Kurt said with a small giggle and ended the call.

He then turned back to Rachel, but got surprised by the stern look on the girl's face.

"What?"

"Who is Ethan?" Rachel asked and crossed her arms over her chest.

"He's a friend of mine from Dalton", Kurt answered slowly while he kept eyeing Rachel carefully. "Why do you ask?"

"As I have told you numerous times, I have a very sensitive hearing. And from what I heard from that conversation, it's pretty obvious that this guy likes you"

Kurt was just about to protest, to explain that he and Ethan were just friends when the chair on his other side got pulled out.

"Who likes Kurt?" Blaine asked as he handed Kurt his tea and sat down.

"Some guy named Ethan", Rachel answered before Kurt could stop her.

Jonathan's -who had just sat down next to Blaine- eyes widened at the same time as Blaine felt his smile faltering, before he managed to bring it back on his lips.

"Oh? I thought you two were just friends?"

"We are", Kurt answered tiredly and rolled his eyes. "Ethan called me to wish us luck for the competition, Rachel is just being an idiot"

"Hey!" the girl interrupted with an annoyed frown on her face, "I have just found out that Santana and Finn slept together, so excuse me for trying to save your relationship from a cheating scandal like mine"

"Okay first of all, I would never cheat on Blaine", Kurt said seriously and looked in his boyfriend's eyes to show him he was telling the truth, "And second of all, Finn didn't even cheat on you! He slept with Santana last year when you were still mooning over Jesse"

"Wait, what? You- you knew about that?"

"Of course. Everyone did"

"I heard about it too", Blaine chimed in.

"Me too", Jonathan said quietly and everyone turned to give him a surprised look.

"What, don't you people read the show choir gossips site?"

Kurt smiled at Jonathan and shook his head disbelievingly before facing Rachel again.

"Yeah, so.. That's the end of this discussion, okay? Ethan and I are just friends, I would never cheat on my wonderful boyfriend, and everyone except for you is already over the whole Finntana-thing"

Rachel's mouth hung open and Kurt turned around to give Blaine a small kiss before picking his tea cup up and taking a small sip.

"_Finntana?_ The-They have a couple name?" Rachel stuttered out, before she burst into tears.

Kurt sighed and took Rachel's hand while gesturing towards the direction bathrooms with his head at Blaine who nodded in understanding.

"Come on, honey", he mumbled to Rachel as he pulled her up with him. "Let's go get you cleaned up"

Kurt had to practically drag the girl, but eventually he and Rachel reached the small hallway where the bathroom's were. Kurt asked Rachel to check if the girl's room was clear before he walked in and grabbed a pack of tissues from his pocket.

"Lean against the counter", he instructed with a soft voice and started wiping Rachel's reddish face with a tissue.

"I'm sorry", Rachel mumbled, "I just.. he lied to me Kurt. He said he was still a virgin, and I was just so happy because then we could have out first time together and now I find out that he-"

Rachel's words got cut off by another sob that escaped between her lips and Kurt quickly pulled her into a hug.

"Hey, shh", he said as he stroked his friend's hair softly. "It's alright. You two will talk and then you're mad at each other for a while, but then you are happy again. That's what you always do. Okay?"

Rachel sniffed loudly, before nodding against Kurt's chest. "Okay", she agreed with a small voice.

The door to the bathroom opened and a middle-aged woman with a tight bun on top of her head and big glasses that looked like they'd walked out of the 80's walked in. She threw a nasty look at Kurt, who got the message and handed Rachel his tissues.

"I'll wait outside. You'll be fine alone, right?"

Rachel nodded and smiled as happily as she could. "I'll be okay. Thanks Kurt, you're great"

"Oh, I know", Kurt said dismissively and chuckled before walking out of the bathroom.

He settled against the wall and pulled his phone out to play Angry Birds while he waited, completely unaware of the tall, dark figure watching him behind its sunglasses.

* * *

Blaine had just finished his own tea when Rachel came back to him and Jonathan, with a bright smile on her face again. She sat back down and smiled apologetically at the two boys.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to act so- Where's Kurt?" she asked when she noticed the absence of her friend.

"I thought he was with you?" Blaine said, his brows furrowing.

"He was", Rachel answered as she tried to look around the tables in the cafe. "He said he'd wait me, but when I came out of the bathroom he was gone. I thought he came back to you"

"We haven't seen him", Jonathan said and got up from his seat. "He's probably just in the bathroom, right? No need to get worried", he continued, but mainly just to calm himself down. He'd always been the one to worry too much.

"Yeah, he's just in the bathroom", Blaine agreed.

"Guys! We're doing a last minute rehearsal. Like, right now, so move your asses!" Nick shouted as he and Jeff suddenly appeared, only to grab Jonathan by his both hands and pull him with them.

"But guys, Kurt's still-"

"You need to come right now, Anderson or Thad will personally come here and strangle you!"

Blaine threw a look towards the bathrooms before turning to Rachel.

"Would you mind waiting here and telling him where we are?"

"Of course", Rachel promised, "I'm in no hurry, since we're performing last. I'll send him to you when he gets here"

"Okay, thanks Rachel", Blaine said and gave Rachel a small peck on the cheek before running after his friends.

* * *

"Blaine, we're supposed to be on in fifteen minutes. Where. The hell. Is. Kurt?"

Blaine huffed as he dialed Kurt's number once more. Everyone had their attention on him, and those who didn't were fiddling nervously with their hands and exchanging worried glances. Jonathan was sitting in the corner pretending to read, but if anyone had looked closer they'd noticed that he'd been on that same page for the last ten minutes.

"I've told you a million times, Thad, I don't know. He won't answer his phone", Blaine mumbled, starting to get anxious himself.

"Well, if he doesn't show up soon, then we'll just have to go up without him", Thad retorted angrily and got back to pacing back and forth like he'd been doing for a while now.

"We'll go look for him, okay?" Nick suggested and Jeff nodded eagerly beside him.

"Yeah. The three of us go look for him, and we'll come back in ten", Blaine said as he got up from the couch he'd been sitting on and slipped the phone back into his pocket.

"I'm coming too", Jonathan said quickly and closed the book, before sprinting after the three boys that were already walking through the green room's door.

"Where do we start?" Nick asked as the four of them walked towards the lobby, where people were just starting to walk into the auditorium.

"Why don't you two go check the bathroom", Blaine said and Nick nodded before running off with Jeff.

"What about me?" Jonathan asked while he made little jumps between his steps to spot Kurt in the crowd.

"You can go look if he's outside. I'll go ask Rachel and the New Directions if they've seen him"

"Okay"

The two of them split into different directions, and as Blaine hurried towards the green room where the McKinley's club was, the lights started flickering and he heard the presenters voice flowing out of the auditorium as he greeted the audience.

He took a look at the nearest clock on the wall and speeded his steps. They had only ten minutes left before the performance.


	21. Chapter 21

_"Hey"_

_Kurt nearly dropped his phone when someone suddenly spoke only a few feet from him. He turned around to see a face hidden behind sunglasses and a baseball cap, but still there was no mistaking about the person behind them. He knew that voice. It had yelled, and threw insults at him too many times to mistake it._

_"What are you doing here, Karofsky?" Kurt asked as he unconsciously took a step back from his past tormentor._

_"I need to talk to you", the other boy answered and pulled the glasses off of his face._

_Kurt was surprised to see the dark bags under the other boy's eyes as well as the slight redness in them, but he still shook his head._

_"I really want nothing to do with you, so could you please just leave?"_

_"Hummel-I mean, Kurt, please", Karofsky said, his voice more pleading and vulnerable than Kurt had ever heard it. "It will just take a second"_

_Kurt glanced at the screen of his phone. He still had time before the performance._

_"Okay, fine. Let's talk", he huffed out and crossed his arms over his chest after placing the phone back in his pocket._

_"Not here", Karofsky said quietly, throwing a look towards the people that were passing by the hallway that led to the bathrooms. "I don't want- I mean, people from McKinley are here and I saw you with Rachel so-"_

_"Fine, fine", Kurt agreed quickly before the boy began rambling and stuttering even more. "We can go outside"_

* * *

Blaine ran over to the door that led to New Directions' room, didn't even bother to knock before swinging the door open. He had apparently walked in on a bad moment. Everyone looked pissed and Mr. Schue was obviously in the middle of one of his pep-talks, but Blaine couldn't care less.

"Have you seen Kurt?" he demanded a bit breathlessly, leaning his palm against the doorframe.

"No, we- what, you still haven't heard from him?" Rachel said in confusion as the others shook their heads.

"We're supposed to be on in eight minutes and no one's seen him since he left with you", Blaine mumbled as he pulled his head out of the room to check the hallway, half expecting for Kurt to just appear from around the corner.

"What? That was almost half an hour ago! I'll help you look for him" Rachel exclaimed and took a few steps towards Blaine before Mr. Schue stuck his hand in front of her.

"No, Rachel. We have a performance to throw soon too, and all of you are still fighting with each other. I will not let you leave this room, it will do no good for the team-"

"Well, what about Kurt?" Rachel spat out, in her best storm out-voice. "He was a part of this team. Still is"

"Rachel, I'm sure Kurt's fine", the teacher said tiredly and turned his head to give Blaine an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, but we can't help you right now"

Blaine nodded before quickly taking off again, Rachel's yells mixing with everyone else's as they continued their fighting on the other side of the door. He took another look at the clock when he finally got back to the now empty lobby. Six minutes left.

* * *

Jonathan nearly slipped on the puddle that had frozen in the chilly, late November air. It took a moment for him to regain his footing, but during that moment his glasses -that were too big on him, but he refused to complain about it to his dad- slipped off of his nose and fell to the parking lot pavement.

"Crap", he muttered quietly and fell on his knees and began feeling the ground with his hands. He saw practically nothing without his glasses, and right now was the exact moment seeing would be useful.

The boy hissed when he felt his index finger scratch against something. _A shard of broken glass, probably, _his mind supplied as his other hand finally bumped against his glasses. Jonathan lifted them back on his face and clucked his tongue in annoyance when he saw the slight cracks in the left lens.

Then there was a voice. And it was definitely Kurt's.

" -sorry, but I can't promise that", Jonathan heard Kurt say before his voice got quieter and harder to hear. He quickly got up and dusted his knees before walking into the direction of Kurt's voice, which was coming from behind The Warblers' bus.

"Kurt!" he shouted in relief when the taller boy came into his view and took a few running steps towards him before the person Kurt had been talking to stepped out from behind the bus as well.

The man -or wait, he looked more like a teenager- was very large. He looked like he could crush Jonathan with his pinky and then eat him without batting an eyelid. And then Jonathan recognized him. Of course he had typed _David Karofsky _in the facebook search bar the second he'd heard the guy's name and what he'd done to Kurt.

Kurt wasn't looking particularly mad or scared though, but Jonathan still approached the pair with a tentative look on his face. Karofsky on the other hand looked like a complete mess. His cheeks were covered with tear streaks and there was a weird look -fear, was it?- in his eyes.

"Kurt, are you okay?" Jonathan asked, while keeping his trying-to-be-intimidating-but-not-exactly-succeedi ng eyes locked on Karofsky.

"What? I'm fine, why wouldn't I b- God, Jonathan, you're bleeding! And what happened to your glasses?" Kurt burst out worriedly as he took Jonathan's hand in his to inspect the wound on his finger.

"Nothing. Don't you know what time it is? We're supposed to be performing in-", Jonathan paused to check his pocket watch -which Kurt found overly adorable; who the hell carries a pocket watch in the 21st century?

"-Five minutes, oh my god, Thad is going to kill us!"

Kurt's eyes widened and he turned to Karofsky to tell him that he needed to go, but he was once again silenced by the look on the other boy's face.

"You need to go", Karofsky said. Just like stating a simple fact, there was no emotion behind his words.

"Kar- David, I-", Kurt started, but Karofsky halted him with a watery smile.

"It's okay. I just- I just want you to know that I meant what I said", the boy said quietly.

"I know you did, David, but I-"

"You don't have to say anything. I just came here to apologize. I know I'm not exactly deserving of your forgiveness, but I just needed for you to know that I really am sorry for what I did. I would take it all back if I could"

"Kurt, we really need to go", Jonathan interrupted softly, and tugged the hand that was still in his injured one.

"Yeah", Kurt agreed and turned to leave with Jonathan after giving Karofsky a small smile as a goodbye.

"What were you two talking about?" Jonathan whispered as they hurried back towards the building.

"He just apologized for what he did", Kurt answered dismissively, his mind jumping back to the conversation he'd had with the football player.

* * *

_"Okay, we're out of earshot from everyone you know", Kurt said snappily as he and Karofsky finally stopped when they got out of the lobby and across the yard to the parking lot. "You can talk now"_

_The bulkier boy shifted awkwardly on his feet before speaking, and Kurt only barely resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Karofsky had acted like he owned the whole damn school back in McKinley, and now he couldn't even utter any words?_

_"I'm so sorry for what I did to you, Kurt", the boy finally said and lifted his glossy eyes too look at the smaller boy. "Y-you didn't deserve it, I was.. I have been acting like a total dick to you. Even more than to everyone else"_

_"... You dragged me out here for that? You couldn't even apologize to me publicly, because you're scared someone would hear you?" Kurt said disbelievingly and shook his head in annoyance, refusing to meet the other boy's eyes._

_"No, Kurt that's not it! I just-", Karofsky started, but let out a frustrated huff when he couldn't get the words out of his mouth. "Do you- do you know why I did it?"_

_Kurt shook his head, his lips forming a quiet 'no' as he listened to Karofsky's ragged breathing and the sound of the few birds in the nearby tree._

_"I liked you"_

_Kurt's head spun around so fast that Karofsky was surprised it didn't fall off. There was clear anger in the smaller boy's eyes and he took a few steps closer to the other and fixed his blazing eyes on him._

_"What did you just say?"_

_"I I- liked you, Kurt. Still do", Karofsky answered with a small voice._

_"Unbelievable!" Kurt yelled loudly and the birds that had been singing flied away, scared with the sudden noise._

_"You really expect for me to believe that?" Kurt said, almost laughing, with a bitter tone in his voice. "You made my time in McKinley a living hell, Karofsky!"_

_"I only did it because I was scared!" _

_Kurt flinched at the other boy's voice, louder than he'd heard it since meeting him outside the bathrooms._

_"I was scared, okay?" Karofsky repeated, quieter this time. "I-I was scared that, that my friends or my family, or anyone found out. I was so scared that people would notice me looking at you, when you wore your ridiculous clothes and walked around the school with your freak friends...And I was mad too", he continued, looking crestfallen, "Mad at you for being stronger than me and acting all proud about being..."_

_"So you... You just decided to torment me?" Kurt asked quietly._

_Karofsky nodded, albeit a bit hesitantly. "I thought I could get it out of my system. I don't.. Kurt, I don't want to be like this. It's wrong"_

_Kurt didn't know if it was the way Karofsky's voice cracked when he spoke, or the way his eyes suddenly filled with tears, but something made him grab the bigger boy and pull him into a tight hug. Karofsky was stunned, but after a moment Kurt felt his hands lay softly against his back._

_"There's nothing wrong with you, David", Kurt said quietly, using the boy's first name for the first time in his life. "It's just like you said; you're scared. But you don't have to be", he continued and pulled away from the hug, keeping his hands on David's shoulders._

_"One day you'll be brave enough to come out. And I promise, people are still going to care about you"_

_"Go out with me", Karofsky blurted, making Kurt's eyes widen in surprise and his hands fall from his shoulders._

_"Oh.. I, um- I-I have a boyfriend, David", Kurt stuttered, trying to sound as apologetic as he could despite his shock at Karofsky's words._

_"I.. I didn't know about that", Karofsky said quietly as his eyes turned from Kurt's and gazed at the pavement instead. "Who?"_

_"Blaine Anderson"_

_"Oh yeah, he was that.. He was with you. At that dance in the eighth grade, I mean"_

_"Yeah, he was"_

_"If you ever, you know, are not together anymore, could you give me a call?"_

_Karofsky is sounding so hopeful, so fragile, but Kurt doesn't want to lie. He can't just forget the damage this boy has done for him. Both physically and mentally. They could learn to be friends some day, but nothing more._

_"David, I'm sorry, but I can't promise that", Kurt said before continuing more quietly, "I don't think I can ever fully forgive you"_

_Karofsky was just about to open his mouth to speak when he was cut off by a new voice._

_"Kurt!"_

_Kurt recognized Jonathan's voice and gave Karofsky a meaningful look as a sign for him to stay quiet._

* * *

The door to the green room swung open and Blaine had barely time to register his own movements before he had already wrapped himself around Kurt in a tight embrace.

"Where the hell were you?" he mumbled against his boyfriend's neck, laughing with relief. Kurt smiled and wrapped his arms around Blaine and stroked his back soothingly as Jonathan hurried past the lovebirds, giving them some space.

"I just went out to get some air. Kind of lost track of time I gue-"

"Great story, seriously, changed my life", Thad said harshly, his tone laced with a thick layer of sarcasm. "But now, if you're not too busy, we really should drag our asses to that stage and win this shit"

Thad was even more bossy and fidgety than usually before competitions, and everyone was quick to do as he told. Blaine and Kurt hurried after the other boys to the backstage, everyone buzzing with excitement.

As they were settling in to their formation, they heard the presenter thank _The Hipsters _for their performance, and they knew that it was almost time. Blaine took a deep calming breath as he settled on his place in front of the group and as the presenter started to introduce the next number, he turned his head towards Kurt to find his boyfriend smiling encouragingly at him. Blaine's face split up in a grin and he blew Kurt a kiss with a wink of his eye before the curtain rose, and there was nothing but music.

* * *

The competition ended with a rather surprising result. Both The New Directionsand The Warblerswould continue on to regionals. Mr. Schue had shook hands with everyone from the Dalton choir and told them to bring their A game at regionals so it would be more enjoyable to take them down.

Thad was still fuming when they got back to Dalton, muttering something about finding better songs so they could butcher The New Directions and their "cocky director".

"You were amazing, Blaine", Kurt sighed as he lied against his boyfriend's chest on Blaine's bed, both of their uniforms gone, having gotten replaced by sweatpants and t-shirts -and in Kurt's case- fluffy pink bunny slippers he had gotten from Mercedes.

"Yeah, I guess", Blaine muttered with a shrug before pressing a kiss on top of Kurt's head. "I just wish that you would've sang with me"

"Stop being such a sap and accept the compliment", Kurt chuckled. He could feel Blaine's chest tremble with laughter for a second before the other boy's hands wrapped around him and pushed him off of his chest and on his side so that they could face each other.

"Oh, are you going to make me?" Blaine asked with a smirk and leaned closer to press a quick kiss on Kurt's mouth.

"Blaine, I'm serious. I can totally see you in New York in the future, singing on Broadway, casted as Fiyero in _Wicked..._", Kurt said absentmindedly as he fiddled with the collar of Blaine's shirt. "You would be amazing"

"Oh, well what else can you see in my future?" Blaine asked teasingly, bringing his hand up to finger Kurt's hair.

"Like what?" Kurt asked, not catching on to what Blaine was trying to say.

"Like, do I maybe have a husband with me?"

"Oh. Well- oh!" he gasped again when he realized what Blaine was asking. It was a hard question to answer. They had been together for only a few weeks -a month after eight days, he reminded himself- after all. He felt a small wave of panic bubbling under his skin, but it vanished quickly when Blaine started laughing.

"Kurt, I'm kidding. God you looked so scared", he giggled despite Kurt was kicking his leg repeatedly with his cheeks tinted pink.

"Shut up, Blaine. You're such an idiot sometimes"

"I'm sorry", Blaine said, not sounding sorry at all. "But, speaking of New York..", he continued and got off the bed, Kurt following him with his eyes curiously as he walked over to his desk and pulled something out from the top drawer, hiding that something behind his back.

"I know that there was a chance that your dad and Carole wouldn't have agreed to my plans, but I told mom to get these just in case they did say yes", Blaine said cheerily and pulled his hands from behind his back as he sat back down next to Kurt, who was sitting upright in record time when he saw what Blaine was holding.

"Blaine wha- how-?" he stammered as he tentatively reached his hand out to touch the tickets. Two flight tickets from Lima to New York and two tickets to see _Wicked _in Gershwin theatre. _Oh my god they're real, _Kurt thought, trying to hold the delighted squeal that was threatening to rise from his throat.

"I talked about it with mom and dad", Blaine explained, smiling happily at the dazed expression on Kurt's face. "We had already decided to go to New York for New year's, and just couldn't stand the thought of not being with you on our first New year together, so I asked them if you could come. Then today after the competition, I spoke with Carole and your dad called me-"

The rest of Blaine's sentence was silenced by Kurt's lips that were pressing furiously against his, edging for him to open his mouth. Blaine gave in and let Kurt push his tongue against his. They were still a bit new to the whole kissing thing, but Blaine loved nothing more than learning it with Kurt. He had quickly learned that Kurt liked it when Blaine slid his hands against his sides as they kissed, and like it even more when Blaine pushed his tongue against the back of his teeth. Much like Kurt now knew, that Blaine really loved to have the hair in the back of his head played with while he was being kissed.

"You're the best boyfriend ever", Kurt muttered against Blaine's lips before plunging back forward for a last small peck, before he went to get his phone and make Rachel green with envy.

* * *

"Jonathan!"

Jonathan lifted himself upright on the bed and rubbed his eyes sleepily before reaching for his bedside drawer to grab his glasses and push them on his nose. The left lens that had broke was now hastily taped so that the broken shards wouldn't fall off.

"Kurt? What's wrong?" he mumbled as his roommate flung himself on his bed and smiled widely at him.

"Nothing's wrong, and do you want to know why?" Kurt said and kept a dramatic pause before continuing, "Because I'm going to New York with Blaine!"

Jonathan stared at the tickets Kurt pushed to his face and leaned back a bit further to see them properly.

"Oh wow, that's great, Kurt!" he congratulated and was nearly knocked back on his back when Kurt attacked him with a hug.

"God, I'm so excited!" Kurt gushed, his hands flailing excitedly on his sides when he pulled away from Jonathan.

"You're going to love _Wicked_, Kurt", Jonathan said with a grin, "When you see it live.. it's just amazing. It'll blow you away"

"You've seen it?"

"Yeah, me and my mom took me to see it last summer", Jonathan answered, smiling fondly at the memory. His mother crying beside him, their hands clasped on the armrest between them when Elphaba and Glinda sang _For good_.

"Your mother has a great taste", Kurt said with a smile.

"Yeah. Sucks that I don't get to see her that often, though"

"Why is that?" Kurt asked in confusion. Now that he thought about it, he had never actually heard anything about Jonathan's parents.

"She lives in Wales. My parents are divorced", Jonathan answered with a shrug.

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that", Kurt said quietly and reached his hand out to squeeze Jonathan's shoulder.

"It was years ago, doesn't really matter anymo-"

"Can we come too!?" Jeff shouted as he and Nick barged into the room -seriously did the two of them ever seperate?- and ran to Jonathan's bedside, kneeling in front of Kurt and bowing their heads.

"Can you come where?" Kurt asked, his eyebrows scrunched in confusion.

"To New York!"  
"Please, Kurt! Tell me what hotel you're staying in and we'll be there"

"No", Kurt answered shortly and got up from the bed after rolling his eyes at Jonathan who laughed heartily at the faces the two boys on the floor were making.

"Why nooot?" Nick whined and grabbed Kurt's foot before he could escape from them.

"Because, all I want for Christmas is a few days away from your craziness", Kurt said matter-of-factly before kicking Nick off of him and sticking his tongue out at the boys as he fled the room.

Nick and Jeff lied on the floor, staring at the door to the room with pouts on their faces while Jonathan began returning back to his nap. He was interrupted though, after he had placed his glasses back on the drawer as the two troublemakers sat on both sides of him, wrapping their arms tightly around the smallest boy.

"What do you say about a little fieldtrip around New year's, Johnny-boy?"


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: so if any of you ever wondered who was that little Erica girl who comforted Kurt after everyone found out he was gay... not a klaine heavy chapter, but hey, there's those coming up too, so no pouting,okay?**

The problem with owning too many clothes is that you never have anything to wear. If you only own a few shirts, a pair of jeans and shorts, it's always easy to decide what to wear; because you don't have so many options. And with a closet like Kurt Hummel's, you definitely have options.

Kurt was back home for Christmas break and the party Ethan had asked him to, and Blaine had agreed to go with him -though he didn't seem that excited with the idea- would begin in two hours. Well, that's when they'd go there at least, Kurt suspected that most people were already there, drinking and smoking and acting like teenagers at a party.

Kurt was just placing his white jeans back in the closet, after having decided that they were not suitable to a party full of tipsy people with drinks in their hands, when his phone rang.

"Hello?"

_"Hi, honey"_

Kurt rolled his eyes at the pet name but couldn't help the smile that rose on his lips.

"Well, good evening, Blaine. What are you up to?"

_"I'm just trying to find clothes that are okay to wear when you're in the presence of rich juvenile delinquents", _Blaine answered casually and Kurt could hear the rustling on the line as he settled on his bed.

"Blaine, Ethan and his friends aren't juvenile delinquents", Kurt sighed tiredly and pulled his pair of red jeans out of the pile, examining them closely for any stains.

_"Well, you don't know that", _Blaine said defensively, _"I heard that they smoke marijuana"_

"Oh, doesn't everyone experiment when they're teens?"

_"With alcohol. Or smoking. But not with drugs, Kurt. Oh my god, what if they have drugs at the party?"_

Kurt threw the jeans on his bed and flopped down on his back next to them. He stared at the ceiling and inspected his nails as he spoke.

"Blaine, I don't think they-"

_"But, what if!"_

"Well, then we kindly say no, and get back home. Deal?"

_"... Deal"_, Blaine muttered quietly and Kurt rolled his eyes again.

"Good. I really have to get back to choosing my outfit, Blaine. I'll come pick you up soon"

_"Okay. I'll be waiting"_

Kurt smiled disbelievingly at his phone when he ended the call and threw it on his bed. He had expected for his boyfriend to get panicked because of the party, but it was even more ridiculous and adorable when it actually happened.

He shook his head to himself one more time at the thought of Blaine, before he pushed himself off the bed and started the search for a perfect shirt to go with his jeans.

* * *

Burt eyed his son at the corner of his eye when he emerged from upstairs -he and Carole had bought a new house together, so that Kurt and Finn wouldn't be forced to live together in Kurt's old basement- and ran to the kitchen to grab his car keys.

"What, you aren't gonna say goodbye?" he asked teasingly and watched as his son shuffled reluctantly into the living room.

"Bye, dad", Kurt said and turned to leave already when Burt started shaking his head disapprovingly.

"Oh no, you can't just leave without telling me where you're going, can you?"

"I guess not", Kurt agreed with a reluctant sigh and sat down on next to his father.

"So?"

"Ethan invited me and Blaine to this one party"

Burt's eyebrows scrunched together as he tried to remember who the boy Kurt was talking about was. He remembered the two clowns Kurt was always complaining about, his roommate, who was always reading, the Warblers' council members... But Ethan? That didn't ring a bell at all.

"Who's that?"

"Oh, Ethan?" Kurt started when he noticed the confused look on Burt's face. "He's a friend of mine from Dalton. Completely safe, he's a very nice guy. At least, once you get to know him"

"Hm", Burt let out a tiny noise of acknowledgement, not sounding that convinced. "Well, what about this party? There gonna be any alcohol?"

"That's- that's a possibility", Kurt answered and gulped loudly, watching Burt with pleading eyes. "But, dad I promise I won't drink. And Blaine won't either. We'll act responsibly, and leave if things get out of hand. I just want to spend time with my friends, please?"

Burt sighed. He knew that Kurt was a teenager- he had once been one himself, believe it or not- and he knew how 'out of hand' things could get. But, he also knew that if he wouldn't give Kurt his permission, he'd just escape through the window or something.

"Fine, you can go. But", he finally said and fixed his eyes on Kurt to silence his happy laughter, "I'm expecting for you to make the right decisions, okay? Don't let me down, kiddo"

"Of course not. Thank you so much, dad!" Kurt exclaimed and gave Burt a quick hug before he was up on his feet again and running out of the house.

Burt couldn't hold his smile anymore when the door slammed and chuckled softly to himself before turning back to the TV. His little boy was growing so fast, already getting his first 'don't do anything I wouldn't do'-speech.

* * *

"I said I was coming", Kurt groaned to himself as he heard his phone start ringing the second time after he'd called Blaine to let him know he was on his way to Westerville.

He reached his right hand on the passenger seat while trying to keep his eyes on the road and closed his fingers around the object before pulling it up on his ear.

"Honey, I know you're nervous, but I already- Blaine?"

Kurt's words were interrupted when a loud sob crackled its way through the line, and his fingers automatically squeezed tighter around the phone.

"Blaine, is that you? What's wrong?" he asked, sounding only half as scared as he felt.

_"No, it's- it's me"_

Kurt's eyes widened a little and he had to pull the phone off of his ear to check the caller ID to be sure the person was who he thought it was.

"Ethan?" he was nearly whispering now, confused by the sound of the other boy's voice. "What's going on?"

Kurt quickly glanced around his surroundings and was lucky enough to spot a small gas station on the side of the road. He pulled of the road and stopped his car, not even bothering to check if he was inside the parking space as he turned the radio off to hear Ethan's voice more clearly.

_"It's- I-",_ Ethan tried to say, but his voice kept getting cut off by his sniffling.

"Shh, shh", Kurt tried to calm him down, looking around him as if anything he'd find in his car would help him right now. "Calm down, there's no hurry"

He heard the boy at the other end of the line take a few shaky breaths to calm himself down before he was speaking again.

_"I-I need you to come pick me up. I'll explain everything, I promise, but please. J-just come. I don't have anyone else who to call, and I'm-"_

"Okay, okay. Um, where- where are you?" Kurt asked as he placed the phone between his shoulder and ear to grab the navigator he almost never used from the glove box.

_"I'm not- I'm not sure. Wait- do you know that old playground just outside of Westerville?"_

"Yeah", Kurt answered after a moment and lifted his hands back on the wheel to leave from the gas station. "Are you there?"

_"No, but I'm not far. I'll wait for you there"_

"Okay. I'll be there soon", Kurt promised, his teeth gnawing at his lower lip in worry. What was going on?

Normally Kurt was very uptight about going according to speeding limits, but this time he drove almost as irresponsibly as he'd seen Puck drive once after the football team had actually won a game. And then his friends had thrown pee balloons on Kurt from the window.

The cars that passed him, were only bright blur in Kurt's eyes as he gripped the steering wheel in his hands. Ethan had sounded like he could be seriously injured. This was definitely not how he'd planned to spend his evening. And what if Ethan was in such a bad condition that he'd pass out in the snow or something? The thought did nothing for Kurt's nervousness. He slammed his foot against the pedal and pulled ahead of the car in front of him.

* * *

When Kurt pulled at the side of the road next to the abandoned playground with rusty swings and a broken climbing frame, he immediately noticed a lump with a shaggy blonde hair leaning against the low mesh fence. The gentle snowflakes that had began falling only a few minutes ago were covering Ethan's hair like a thin veil.

"Ethan!" he yelled, catching the other boy's attention as he ran towards him, but when Ethan lifted his head up Kurt stopped dead on his tracks, his eyes widening in horror.

"Hi", Ethan greeted, his voice raspy and quiet before he cleared his throat and offered Kurt a lopsided smile. "It's pretty bad, huh?"

Kurt was unable to do anything but to take the last remaining steps that it took for him to reach Ethan and sit down next to him, eyeing the boy's face worriedly. His right eye had nearly swollen shut and had a nasty purple bruise around it. His lower lip was split, the red blood a sharp contrast against his skin. Kurt reached in tentatively to touch it, pulling his hand away quickly when Ethan let out a pained hiss. The boy had bruises on his arms too, which Kurt could see since Ethan was wearing only a t-shirt.

"God you must be freezing. Here", Kurt muttered and pulled his jacket off, immediately feeling the cold December air attacking his skin through his black shirt. "Let's get you into the car"

"You look nice", Ethan complimented as Kurt helped him up on his feet, flinching as he took a step with his right one.

"Yeah, well..", Kurt dismissed the other boy's words quickly and wrapped Ethan's arm around his shoulder to keep him upright. "Is it your ankle?"

"Yeah", Ethan mumbled quietly, pain evident in his voice, "I guess I sprained it when I was running"

"Why were you running?" Kurt asked while he dragged Ethan to his car, their footsteps leaving prints on the still thin layer of snow in their wake.

"My dad"

"What about your dad?" Kurt asked, confused, as he pulled the passenger side door open for Ethan, but then realization dawned on his face. "He- your father did this to your face, didn't he?"

Ethan nodded and Kurt felt his heart sink. Of course he knew stuff like this happened. Heck, it was in the news almost every week. Parents mistreating their kids, beating them... And, though Kurt would never admit it to Burt, there had been a moment before he had told his dad that he was gay, when he was scared that his father would hate him for it, maybe even enough to hurt him.

But it was different now. It was different standing there at the side of the road with his _friend, _who had ran away from his home in winter, wearing only a t-shirt, because his father had hit him. And Kurt was completely clueless as to what he was supposed to do.

"Yeah", Ethan said, his voice barely louder than a whisper.

Kurt swallowed loudly, his throat bobbing as he closed the door, unsure of what to say to make Ethan feel better. He then walked around the car and climbed on his seat, pushing the keys into the ignition before he realized that he had no idea where to drive.

"Should we- should I take you to the hospital?" he asked, hating how clear his voice shook. He was supposed to be the strong one now.

"No", Ethan answered quickly. "I don't want- I mean, they'd ask questions"

"But you have to tell the police, Ethan!" Kurt exclaimed, shocked at his friend's reluctance. "Your father needs to go to prison, or who knows, he might do this to you again!"

Ethan turned his head away, and the way his shoulders tensed as he refused to look at Kurt, told the younger boy everything he needed to know.

"..This isn't the first time", Kurt gasped. "You- this- He's done this before, hasn't he?"

Ethan hung his head, as Kurt turned his head away to stare out of his window in shock. How could-? This couldn't be happening. Ethan had never seemed like a person, who was.. getting beat up at home.

"W-why?" Kurt asked, turning back to face the other boy.

Ethan shrugged. "It probably has something with me being a 'filthy faggot'", Ethan mumbled, his voice dropping down when he said the last two words, imitating his father.

"I'm just glad that Erica wasn't home", he continued, even quieter now.

"Who's Erica?" Kurt asked as he finally started the car and steered it back on the road.

"My little sister. She turns nine in a few months", Ethan said, a small smile sneaking its way on his lips. Kurt didn't miss the way the boy's shoulders relaxed and his eyes turned more peaceful when he talked about his sister.

_Okay, _Kurt thought, _this is obviously the way to go. Talk about his sister, that could work._

"You've never spoken about her before", Kurt stated, trying to sound casual.

"Yeah, I don't talk about her that much. We spent a lot of a time apart before we really became a brother and a sister"

"Why is that?"

"She used to live in Lima with our grandparents", Ethan said, leaning back against the seat. "Mom decided it was better for her. Back then mom was still somewhat sane.."

Kurt glanced at Ethan from the corner of his eye and eyed worriedly the deep frown on his forehead that had appeared there at the mention of his mother.

"Why was it better for her?" Kurt asked, now getting even more interested in Ethan's words. He really wanted to learn more about his family, if only for just to understand what caused his father to do something like this.

"Mom and dad have been fighting with each other pretty much every day since my birth. Well, they look pretty happy in my first birthday photo, but I don't have any memories from that. And sometimes their fights, they.. they get a little out of hand. I once woke up in the middle of the night to find dad in the living room, choking mom. I was six"

Kurt's eyes were wide as he listened to Ethan's voice, his own heartbeat beating loudly in his ears.

"I still don't know what would've happened if I wouldn't have woken up", Ethan said quietly. "I'm not even sure if I want to know"

"Things pretty much just got worse and worse after that. Dad started drinking and mom started popping pills and... stuff. Then Erica was born"

Kurt almost smiled at the teary eyed smile Ethan had on his face, but he was still too shocked at what he was hearing.

"Thank god, I got mom to stop the drugs while she was pregnant", Ethan nearly laughed. "Erica is the only good one in our fucked up family"

"Did you say she lived in Lima before?" Kurt asked, remembering a sweet girl who asked him if he was okay after he'd just had the worst day of his life, sitting in a swing beside him and telling him that he was better than the people who bullied him. "Where?"

"Somewhere around Diller Road. I don't remember the exact address, but there was this neighborhood with a really nice playground nearby. They had this huge blue and green slide, with lots of towers around it and stuff. And then there was this old lady that lived next door to the playground. She had like a thousand cats. I can't remember her name either"

"Mrs. Humphrey", Kurt answered automatically, Ethan's eyes widening in surprise.

"You know that place?"

"Yeah, I- I lived there", Kurt answered with a smile. "We moved away only a few months ago"

"Oh, so did you ever see Erica?" Ethan asked, clearly not expecting 'yes' as his answer.

"I did actually", Kurt said, smiling at the memory. "Everyone at school had just found out that I was gay. And when they made fun of me I just couldn't take it. I ran to that playground you mentioned and Erica was there. She was perfect; she basically just told me that the other kids were complete assholes for bullying me"

"That does sound like Erica", Ethan muttered, smiling proudly.

It quickly became silent in the car after that. But it wasn't a bad silence, Kurt noticed. It was nice. Peaceful even. The wipers moved against the windshield as the snow kept falling from the sky. In the back of his head Kurt wondered if they would get snow on Christmas Eve too.

Then Lady Gaga started singing _Bad Romance _in Kurt's pocket and he could've crashed the car because of his startled jump.

"Sorry", he mumbled and quickly pulled his phone out to press the ignore button, but then he read the name on the screen. Blaine.

Kurt turned his eyes to Ethan, as if asking for permission. Ethan nodded, but said; "Please don't tell him about me"

Kurt nodded in agreement and pulled the phone on his ear.

"Hi, honey", he said, hoping his voice didn't sound weird to Blaine.

_"Kurt where are you? You were supposed to be here half an hour ago. I tried calling you five times, I was scared you had gotten in an accident or something"_

Kurt took a look at the screen and sure enough he had five missed calls.

"I'm sorry, Blaine. I just.. I fell asleep", he said, turning his eyes to Ethan with a hopeless look. _Is he going to believe me?_

Ethan shook his head. _No._

_"You fell asleep?" _Blaine repeated disbelievingly.

"Yep, yeah, that's it. I-I started feeling a little feverish so I went to lie down for a second. And then I fell asleep"

Kurt was already complimenting himself on his acting skills when Blaine spoke again.

_"Didn't you call me like two hours ago to say that you were on your way?"_

"Oh, I- um. Yes?" Kurt stammered. "But, then I fell asleep after that. Look, I'm really sorry, but I don't think we'll be going to the party tonight"

Kurt bit his lip, hoping for Blaine to drop it when he heard his boyfriend let out a sigh.

_"I know what this is"_

"You do?" Kurt asked, his eyebrows knitting together in confusion.

_"Yes. Kurt, you don't need to lie to me"_

"I'm sorry, Blaine. I just-"

_"It's okay if you're scared of going to the party!"_

That was the second time that night when Kurt nearly drove off the road.

"If I'm- what?"

_"Look, I get it. We wouldn't have known anyone but Ethan at the party, and I'm not the only one worried about things getting too wild for us, right?"_

"Yeah. Uh, that's right. I- I really don't want to go to the party, Blaine. I'm sorry", Kurt said, still surprised by the turn things had taken.

_"It's fine, honey. Go to sleep now. I'll come see you tomorrow"_

"Okay. Goodnight"

Kurt could hear Ethan's muffled chuckles beside him as Kurt stared at the phone in his hands like it was the weirdest thing he'd ever seen on the face of earth. After a while he was able to tear his eyes back to the road, just in time to prevent the crash with a Volvo he'd been headed to.

"Have I ever told you that you are an excellent driver?"

"Shut up, Ethan"

* * *

Kurt pulled himself to a sitting position on his bed, stretching and smiling brightly at the new day, the sunshine warming the sheets around him nicely and his t-shirt and flannel pajama pants feeling more comfortable than ever, when his movie-like awakening was suddenly interrupted by a sharp coughing sound.

He opened his eyes, to look sleepily towards his door, but when he found his father standing there with a coffee cup in his hands and a confused frown on his face his eyes opened even wider.

The blonde boy who was asleep on the mattress at the foot of Kurt's bed, rolled on his other side and let out a small contented sigh. Burt eyed the boy with raised eyebrows, noticing the bruises on his face, before turning to his son with a clear question in his eyes.

Kurt sighed and held his hand up as a signal for Burt to wait a second as he got off the bed and tiptoed his way around the other boy to get out of the room. He closed the door behind him with a soft thud and turned to face Burt with his best 'I can explain'-face.

"No, no", Burt said to prevent the words Kurt had been repairing in his head. "Let's go downstairs. Let that kid get his sleep"

Kurt nodded and padded after his father back downstairs and into the kitchen, where Carole was reading the morning paper and Burt immediately sat him down, handing him a cup of coffee as well.

"So... how was the party?"

"We.. We never actually got to the party", Kurt admitted. "I didn't even pick Blaine up"

"Uh huh.. Who's that boy in your room then?" Burt asked. Carole let the upper part of the paper fall so it didn't cover her face anymore as she stared at Kurt in disbelief.

"There's a boy in Kurt's room?" she asked, looking up as if she could see through the ceiling.

"Yes, true, there is a boy in my room", Kurt said calmly. "But I have a good explanation for it"

"Shoot"

Kurt took a deep breath and a sip of his hot drink before starting.

"His name is Ethan. He's that friend who invited me to that party we were supposed to go. I was just driving to get Blaine, when I got a phone call. It was Ethan and he said that he needed for me to come pick him up somewhere. I of course went and then when I found him.. Well you saw his face, didn't you?" Kurt asked from Burt, who nodded.

"His dad did that. Because he's gay"

The silence in the room was so thick that you probably couldn't cut through it even with a knife. Carole watched the shocked look on her husband's face in confusion, while Kurt toyed with the handle of his coffee mug. The feelings racing through Burt's face ranged from surprise to anger, and from anger to sadness. How could anyone hurt their own child like that?

"His dad beat him up?" Burt repeated Kurt's words, Carole gasping in horror beside him.

"Yes", Kurt confirmed quietly. "So I brought him here, I didn't want for him to freeze or- or go back home, god knows what could've happened"

"That's- That's awful", Carole whispered as Burt brought his hand up to rub her shoulder comfortingly.

"I know. So, yeah, that's why he's in my room. Am I in trouble?"

"Of course not, Kurt", Burt said sternly before Carole was continuing for him, "Tell that poor boy that he can stay as long as he likes"

"Thank you Mrs. Hummel", Ethan said, startling everyone with his presence, "but I think I'll be leaving now"

Kurt moved to get up from his chair and stop Ethan from leaving, but the other boy stopped him by sending him a stern look, but with a smile on his lips.

"Kurt, there's no need to be worried. I'll be okay. And besides, Erica will be back home from her sleepover soon, and I don't want her to come home to the kind of a mess I left there last night"

"But-", Kurt started, but was cut off once again.

"You've already done more than anyone else I know would've done for me", Ethan said gently. "You don't need to worry about me anymore. And neither do you, Mrs. Hummel", he added when he saw the tears on Carole's cheeks.

"Ethan, I can't stop you from leaving, but just so you know, if you ever need a place to stay again-", Burt said, sounding so genuine that Kurt could almost see how surprised Ethan was.

"Thank you, Mr. Hummel. I'll keep that in mind"

Ethan than raised his hand to a small, awkward wave before walking out of the kitchen. The three people in the table, waited until they heard the door close before turning back to their drinks and papers, the mood now hanging heavily over their heads.

"Mornin'. Is there any bacon- whoa, who died?" Finn asked as he entered the room, with morning stubble on his face and the most horrific bed hair Kurt had ever seen.

"No one", all three answered in unison before Kurt excused himself from the table to go back to his room, leaving behind two gloomy parents and a very confused step-brother.


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: I am a horrible person, I know. I'm so, so, so, so sorry for not updating sooner. I try to be quicker, but you know... the spring time, exams and other stuff. I'm trying my best and I am not going to leave you hanging and stop writing!**

* * *

The morning of the twenty sixth came quickly. The front yard of the Hummel house was covered with snow and the Christmas lights Burt had put up with Carole casted various colors on its surface in the still dim morning light. There was no sign of life in any of the houses, everyone was still sleeping soundly, enjoying the warmth of their beds. Except for one person.

Kurt ran downstairs, carrying his suitcase and wearing the beautiful blue scarf he'd gotten -he guessed it was from Blaine- for Christmas (and also the rainbow striped socks Finn had given him). The suitcase banged against the wall in his wake, but he couldn't have cared less. Kurt was absolutely thrilled; after weeks of panicked excitement, it was finally the day he would leave to New York with Blaine and his family.

It had taken him a little over three hours of packing, but finally he'd managed to pick the best outfits he had, _one does not simply travel to one of the world's most fashionable cities unarmed_. And besides, he'd had a lot of time to prepare, since he had only managed to get four hours of sleep -which you luckily couldn't notice from his face.

Yes, he was beyond prepared to go. Everything was perfect and there was no reason for him to wait. The city of his dreams was within his grasp, and he would be spending a week there with his amazing and gorgeous-

"Kurt? Why the hell are you up at six AM?"

Well, maybe there was one reason to wait.

* * *

"You sure you've got everything?"

"Yes, dad. Believe me, I've checked. And double-checked"

Carole watched the exchange between his husband and stepson with a happy smile. Kurt was rolling his eyes half-heartedly as Burt kept bombarding him with questions about his clothes, the hotel they were staying and -of course-, did Kurt surely remember the emergency number.

The dynamic between the two Hummel men was something Carole was sure she'd never get sick of. The playful teasing and overprotective nature both Burt and Kurt possessed, made them an awfully sweet pair to watch. Which Blaine must've agreed on, Carole judged from the look on the boy's face as he watched the father and son say their goodbyes from the door with a wide grin.

Carole tightened the robe around her and stepped away from the doorframe she was leaning on when Kurt came over to give her a tight hug.

"You better have a great time with Blaine", she whispered in his ear, chuckling lightly.

"I will. And I'll bring you something extra-nice as a thank you. We both know dad wouldn't have let me go if it hadn't been for you", Kurt countered with a wink of his eye as he pulled away from the hug, eliciting a small giggle from his stepmother.

Burt smiled at his son as Kurt stepped back in front of him and wrapped his arms around him.

"Take care of yourself", Kurt said seriously, and Burt laughed, the sound vibrating against Kurt's shoulder.

"Aren't I the one who's supposed to say that?"

"Well, we both know that I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself. You on the other hand..", Kurt mumbled teasingly and let go of his father to smile at him.

"Okay fine", Burt said, feigning annoyance, "Then go on and get murdered, see if I care"

The two of them laughed, while Blaine and Carole exchanged a disbelieving glance behind the two Hummels before their faces broke out into a grin. Kurt grabbed his suitcase from the floor and spun around to smile excitedly at Blaine, before turning to his dad and Carole once more.

"Bye, Carole, bye, dad. I love you"

"Love you too, buddy. Have fun", Burt said with a smile as Carole sneaked closer to him, making Burt drape his arm over her shoulder. They smiled happily at the two boys as they linked their hands before walking out of the door, both buzzing with excitement.

* * *

Being in a plane was a much less exciting experience than Kurt had expected. And he hadn't even expected that much, but there he was, having spent fifteen minutes of his life paging through a random magazine, which name he couldn't even remember.

"Blaine, I'm bored", he whined to the other boy, who was sitting next to him.

"I can see that", Blaine chuckled as he threw a look towards the cover of the magazine, now covered with a bunch of nonsense drawings Kurt had made with his ballpoint pen.

"Seriously", Kurt huffed in frustration, "How long is there left?"

"Well, only an hour and.. fourteen minutes"

Kurt groaned and pushed his face against Blaine's shoulder, mumbling something incoherent against it.

"I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that" Blaine said, smiling fondly at his boyfriend's behavior.

"I said, _I hate you for asking me to come_"

"No, you don't", Blaine answered with a cheeky grin as he watched Kurt's expression change softer.

"No, I don't", Kurt agreed and craned his neck to press a kiss on his boyfriend's cheek, before settling back down against his shoulder. Blaine's arm immediately wrapped itself around Kurt and he nuzzled his nose into the other boy's hair while speaking quietly.

"Try to get some sleep. I have something planned for us for tonight, and I really don't want you to spend the evening snoring in your bed"

"Okay", Kurt said with a yawn, the little amount of sleep finally starting to affect him.

Blaine smiled fondly at the other boy as Kurt's breathing finally started slowing down and he could hear a soft snoring sound. He lifted the hand that wasn't resting on Kurt up and brushed a stray lock of his hair from his face.

"You two make a lovely couple"

Blaine turned his head around. He was a bit ashamed to admit it, but he hadn't actually paid any attention to the person who had been sitting on his left side. The small elder woman smiled kindly at him behind her glasses like she had read his mind.

"It's okay. I wouldn't be paying attention to my surroundings if I had someone like that, either", she said and winked, making Blaine chuckle lightly.

"Thank you", Blaine said and returned the smile.

"Are you two travelling alone?" the woman asked, and Blaine shook his head.

"No, my parents are with us", he answered and gestured to the other side of the plane where George and Melanie were sitting, filling a crossword puzzle together.

"Oh, that's nice. I mean, that they let you took your.. _friend_ with you", the woman said, her eyes twinkling at the word 'friend'. "How long have you two been-?"

"Two months today"

The woman made an appreciative face and nudged Blaine playfully with her elbow. "You got anything special planned?"

Blaine nodded, only barely managing to contain his grin. He had a great plan for tonight. He was one-hundred percent sure Kurt would love it.

"I do, actually", Blaine said, but then his smile faltered a little bit, "I don't have a nice restaurant to take him to, though"

The woman smiled sympathetically, before she seemed like she'd just remembered something and began digging through her handbag.

"Would you mind passing me that pen, dear?" she asked and gestured towards the pen that was still in Kurt's lap. Blaine picked it up and handed it to the woman, confused as to what she was doing.

"I might just have the place for you", the woman mumbled while pulling a notebook from the handbag and scribbling something on it.

"R-really?" Blaine asked, surprised. It's not every day when you meet a kind stranger, willing to give you tips for you and your boyfriend's two month anniversary.

"Yes, of course", the woman said dismissively and ripped the page from the notebook to give it to Blaine. "It might not look like much, but I had the best date of my life in that cafe"

A distant, happy smile rose on the woman's face while Blaine tucked the paper into his pocket with a grateful smile.

"Thank you so much. I'm sure that it will be a great place", he thanked and extended his hand to the woman, "I'm Blaine by the way. And this here..", he said, smiling fondly at Kurt, "is my boyfriend, Kurt"

"Ruth", the woman replied, her eyes shifting to Kurt as well. "He's a bit of a restless soul, is he?" she asked teasingly, referring to the earlier conversation she'd heard between Kurt and Blaine.

"Oh, he is", Blaine laughed, "but I wouldn't want him any other way"

Ruth smiled at the softness she saw in the boy's eyes. Those two would stay together forever. She was willing to bet all of her savings for that.

"I once knew a certain restless soul, too", she said, startling Blaine. "Always running here and there, and begging me to go to those crazy 'adventures'.."

Ruth chuckled, and Blaine grinned at her.

"Who was he? Your husband?" he asked, gesturing towards the ring Ruth had on her left ring finger.

"Oh, no. _She,_ was my.. best friend. Annie"

"Oh. Sorry. I just assumed and-"

"It's alright, dear. You weren't completely wrong", Ruth said, "I would've married her, had the times been different"

"That's..", Blaine tried to speak, but found himself uncertain of what to say, so he just settled for a sympathetic smile.

"Complete bullshit, that's what it is!" Ruth exclaimed with a laugh before her face turned more serious. "But seriously, you two are living on a great era. You better enjoy it"

Blaine nodded.

"I intend to"

* * *

"We have our own hotel room?"

Blaine laughed at the awed look on Kurt's face as he opened the door to their room, which was across the hall from his parents'. The hotel they were staying in, was beautiful and only a few blocks away from Central Park (where Kurt was intending to go the second he got the chance).

"Of course", Blaine answered and stepped inside the room, kicking his shoes off at the door, before continuing inside. Kurt went after him, his jaw nearly dropping to the floor when he took in what he saw. The "room", resembled more of a small apartment. They had a small table for two, a small cooking area in the corner, TV and a couch. The two doors on their right probably led to the bedroom and the bathroom, Kurt thought as he dropped his suitcase to the floor so he could run to Blaine and throw his arms around him.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!" he mumbled excitedly against the back of Blaine's jacket , tightening his hold around the other boy.

Blaine chuckled and turned around in his boyfriend's embrace so that they were face to face, before placing his hands on Kurt's hips and squeezing softly.

"So I take it you don't hate me for asking you to come anymore?"

"Shut up", Kurt said and leaned closer to kiss the other boy. Blaine hummed appreciatively and dragged his other hand higher on Kurt's back, pulling him closer to him.

* * *

When the two of them (finally) pulled apart -both more disheveled and red-faced than when they'd walked into the room- Kurt unbuttoned his jacket and went to hang it into the bedroom where the closet probably was. But when he stepped into the room, he stopped dead on his tracks, his eyes widening comically and an incoherent sound escaping from his mouth.

The rather large bed was covered in red rose petals.

Kurt's mind was racing. Had there been some sort of a mistake? Did they got the wrong room? What if they got the _right _room? _Oh my god._

Kurt had heard what Blaine had said to the old woman in the plane. That he had something special planned for their anniversary...

"Oh god, oh god, oh god...", Kurt muttered to himself, quickly shutting the door behind him and locking it.

He gripped his hair and ran his hands through it in an attempt to calm himself. Blaine didn't expect him to..? Or did he? Of course Kurt loved him, but he hadn't even said that to the other boy yet. He hadn't felt that it had ever been the right time. And this definitely wasn't the right time for... _that._ Kurt couldn't even think of the word 'sex' without panicking, for gods sakes!

"Kurt? Is something wrong?", Blaine's worried voice came through the door, the handle jiggling against Kurt's back.

"I-I'm fine", Kurt answered, his voice higher than usual as he stared at the bed. "Just, um, could you maybe get- get me some ice?"

"Ice?"

"Yeah, I.. banged my head"

"Oh, honey. Does it hurt? Should I take a look at it?"

"No! I mean", Kurt coughed awkwardly, before continuing with a sweet voice, "It's okay. Just, just get me some ice, okay? I think there was a machine by the elevators"

"Sure", Blaine answered, sounding confused, "I'll be right back"

Kurt held his breath until he heard the door closing and he sighed in relief. He chanced another look at the petals and the bed, before diving to work. The trash can that was sitting under the desk against the wall was quickly filled with rose petals and in Kurt's hands as they boy desperately searched for a place to push them in.

Then a knock came from the door.

"Kurt? I'm back with the ice, could you let me in now?"

Kurt spun around and looked frantically around himself while jumping from one feet to the other.

"Just a second!"

His eyes finally settled on the window and he threw a scared look towards the locked door before pushing the window open and throwing the contents of the trash can out to the street.

"Kurt, seriously. You're starting to freak my out a little"

Kurt slammed the window shut and made a beeline for the door, but he missed the blanket he'd thrown on the floor while collecting the petals from the bed, and slipped on it, causing him to let out a surprised yelp before he hit his head against the desk.

* * *

"There's going to be a bump, isn't there?" Kurt whined from Blaine's lap where his head was resting.

"No", Blaine answered soothingly and pressed the ice bag back on Kurt's head, causing the other boy to hiss in pain. "Well, maybe a little bump"

Kurt groaned and put an adorable pout on his face, which Blaine couldn't help but to kiss away.

"Our first day in New York and I'm already a cripple"

Blaine chuckled as he brought the hand that wasn't holding the ice bag up to toy with Kurt's hair. He ran his fingers through the soft brown silk as Kurt closed his eyes and let out a small sigh, nuzzling his cheek against Blaine's thigh.

They sat there for a while, sharing soft looks while Blaine kept stroking Kurt's hair in a soothing manner and humming quietly. The clock on the wall was already nearing six when Blaine finally glanced its way.

"We should get up", he said, although sounding very reluctant to do so.

"Why?" Kurt mumbled, "It's so warm and nice..."

"Because, I have plans for us, silly" Blaine said and pressed a quick kiss on Kurt's cheek just as the latter boy's eyes opened in shock.

He'd nearly forgotten about the rose petals and his earlier anxiety, but now it all came running back to him. What should he say? Blaine hadn't brought up the petals yet, or the lack of thereof, but still... Maybe he just thought the staff had forgotten to spread them. What if he'd ask Kurt to the bedroom with him? What should Kurt do then?

Despite all the questions to ask and the things to say that were swimming around in Kurt's head, he settled for a simple 'oh'.

"I mean, what kind of plans?" he corrected himself, trying to sound calmer than he really was.

Blaine didn't answer right away, merely smiled cryptically. "I guess you'll have to find out"

The answer did nothing to Kurt's nerves, but still he returned the smile and pulled himself up form Blaine's lap so that they could both get dressed. Kurt's heart was pounding as they walked into the bedroom, but when Blaine turned around to smile encouragingly at him he felt himself calming down. They would still be going to dinner before anything would happen, if it were to happen. Kurt had plenty of time to talk to Blaine.

He shot a smile at his boyfriend before pulling the outfit he'd already picked out back in Lima and slipping to the bathroom to get dressed and do his hair.

* * *

"Quit, kicking me!"

"I'm not kicking you!"

"Guys, this beard is really tickling me. Are you sure it's neces-"

"Don't question the beard, Jonathan"

"Never question the beard"

Jonathan huffed and kept scratching his chin under the fake beard he was forced to wear -with sunglasses and a black fedora- while listening to the mindless blabber of Nick and Jeff, who were sitting beside him in the hotel common area wearing similar "disguises" as him.

Jonathan had already spent two days with the two boys at Jeff's parents' apartment in New York, and that was two days too much for his health. He was really starting to miss Kurt and his sanity.

He sighed and was just about to pull the beard off and stalk away from the two lunatics when he spotted them. There, just across the lobby, Kurt and Blaine were saying their goodbyes to Mr. and Mrs. Anderson before walking away hand-in-hand, smiling at each other with their lovesick faces.

"Guys!" Jonathan hissed and jabbed Nick's ribs with his elbow. "They're here"

Nick and Jeff quickly shut up and looked around before they finally saw the couple making their way out of the hotel doors. Identical grins spread on their faces (at least Jonathan thought so, you couldn't really say because of the beards) as they got up and straightened their jackets.

"Okay, Johnny. It's showtime!"


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N: at first this was going to be two chapters, but then i just decided to smash all the cutesy stuff in one chapter. so this is basically just fluffy fluff coated with some fluff. but i promise, there's still a lot left to this story and it might not be as cute... *retreats into the shadows while laughing manically***

* * *

The street echoed with laughter as two teenagers ran through it, holding hands and occasionally singing small bits and pieces from old songs. They smiled widely at each other, not caring about the other people they passed and blissfully unaware of the three weirdly agile old bearded men who ran after them, hiding behind trash cans and trees.

Blaine nearly slipped on the small patch of ice on the ground as Kurt pulled him forward, his hat falling from his head.

"Slow down, you maniac!" Blaine laughed and pushed the heels of his shoes against the ground to slow down, pulling Kurt back to him.

"It's not my fault that you're too slow", Kurt said matter-of-factly, smiling at his boyfriend as he bent down to pick the hat up.

"You have longer legs. I think that gives you a certain advantage"

Kurt smirked as he placed the hat back to cover Blaine's curls. "You just keep telling that to yourself"

Blaine pouted, but soon his face returned to its previous grin as Kurt tugged his hand impatiently and they continued running.

The place they were headed to was some sort of a small music bar Blaine had read about in the internet. Apparently it was popular amongst the young almost broke population of New York which mainly included music students, who could make a little extra cash by performing at the place. He'd also read about some place called 'Callbacks', but that had been a bit too far away from their hotel.

Kurt jumped over a knocked over trash can as he made a sharp turn to the left to run through a narrow alley. Blaine settled for rounding the can, because he was fairly certain he didn't want to spend the rest of his evening limping while Kurt laughed at him.

"Hurry up! We're almost there!" Kurt shouted, laughter evident in his voice as he watched Blaine stumble and almost trip over his feet.

"What's your hurry?" Blaine asked, stopping again and smiling warmly at Kurt. "We have all the time in the world"

Kurt rolled his eyes, but took a few steps back closer to Blaine. "Actually, we have a week. And I want to experience as much as possible"

"Well, if you keep hurrying you won't experience anything", Blaine said quietly with a teasing tone in his voice, leaning a bit closer to Kurt. "You've got to savor the moments, not just fly through them"

Kurt smiled back at his boyfriend, lifting the hand that wasn't entwined with Blaine's to rest on his shoulder.

"Since when have you been so deep?" he mumbled in amusement before leaning towards Blaine and his inviting lips.

A sudden clang startled the boys apart, both of them looking around in search of the source of the noise. They saw nothing. The alley was dark and the only living creature with them in there was a small cat that had ran past them just seconds ago after being scared by the sound.

"I have pepper spray!" Blaine yelled warningly while pressing himself against Kurt's side.

"Seriously, Blaine? Pepper spray?" a familiar voice questioned, and the two boys let out sighs of relief.

"Nick, why did y-", Kurt started, but then froze mid word. "Nick? What the hell are _you _doing here?"

Silence fell over the alley before a sharp slapping sound echoed from behind a stack of boards. Both Kurt and Blaine flinched at the sound, listening carefully to the voices that were now speaking.

"Ow! What's your problem?"

"My problem is that you ruined our plan!" _Jeff?_

"Well, you were the one who kicked that trash can!"

"It was an accident! I couldn't help it, that chick was insanely hot-"

"Will you both just shut up! I've been listening to your bickering for hours and it's really getting on my nerves!" _Jonathan, too?_

Blaine and Kurt exchanged confused looks before sneaking closer to the pile. Their friends had already stopped talking after Jonathan's outburst, but they hadn't had the chance to run away yet. Nick, Jeff and Jonathan were sitting behind the boards, Jonathan leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, while Nick and Jeff pulled on each other's.. were those fake beards?

"..Guys?" Kurt asked, a confused look both on his and Blaine's face as they watched their friends, "What's going on?"

Jonathan's frown disappeared and he pulled his bead off, scrambling to his feet and hugging Kurt tightly.

"I missed you so much!" Jonathan whined, Kurt unable to make himself move from surprise. "These crazyheads have been driving me up the wall for the past days"

Kurt cast a questioning look towards his boyfriend who merely shrugged before turning back to the two boys that we're still sitting on the ground, now only holding onto each other's beards instead of pulling them. Kurt finally wrapped his arms around the smaller boy and patted his back soothingly while Blaine spoke to Nick and Jeff.

"Please tell me you did not follow us all the way to New York with the sole purpose of spying on us?"

Both boys snorted as if the answer was obvious.

"No"  
"Yes"

Blaine sighed tiredly as Jeff whacked the back of Nick's head, the two of them falling back to their bickering, while Jonathan finally let go of Kurt to explain why they were in New York to him and Blaine. He looked very apologetic throughout his explanation and kept throwing mean looks towards the two boys on the ground, but Kurt and Blaine were barely listening.

Both of them were already mentally kissing goodbye to their planned dates and peaceful togetherness. There was no way they'd be able to sneak off somewhere while Nick and Jeff were near.

Jonathan noticed the looks on Blaine and Kurt's faces and quieted. He had missed both of them and wanted to spend time with them, sure, but...

"You know what?" he said, smiling sweetly at the couple, "You go now. We'll call you tomorrow"

Kurt's eyes widened in disbelief and, yes, joy.

"Really?"

"Yeah, of course. Go enjoy your evening"

Jeff and Nick were pretty much blind to the exchange between Jonathan and the two boys, which made it easy for Blaine and Kurt to escape from them. Blaine gave Jonathan a grateful smile as Kurt leaned over to give the boy a tight hug before the two of them hurried away.

Jonathan smiled after his friends. It had to be great for Kurt and Blaine to spend time together without any of their friends or schoolwork interrupting them. They deserved it. Because even if they'd been together for only a few months, everyone could tell they were madly in love with each other. Jonathan really wished he could have a relationship like that with someone.

"Wait, wait!" Jeff suddenly shouted, raising his hand up as a sign for Nick to stop his punching. He looked over at Jonathan. "Did they-"

"-leave?" Nick finished, looking around in surprise, his fake beard now hanging on his neck, making him look even more baffled.

"Yup", Jonathan said, crossing his arms over his chest. "And if you try to go after them again, I may have to inform Kurt. And we all know how messy his revenge can be"

"Yes.. He does have a great imagination", Jeff said conversationally as he got up and brushed his jeans clean as Nick followed his lead.

"I'll agree with you on that, but his implementation leaves something to be desired. I mean, where's the fun in good ideas if you don't know what to do with them?"

"Totally"

Jonathan watched the two boys in disbelief as they left, their arms swung over each other's shoulders as if nothing had happened. _Well, at least they left opposite direction from Kurt and Blaine_, Jonathan thought and hurried after them.

* * *

Kurt clapped with his mouth hanging open as the two girls on stage belted out the last notes of _No good deed. _The one with the red hair smiled widely and bowed while the other was already rushing away from the stage and to the bar, muttering something about needing a drink.

Blaine exchanged an impressed look with him as they listened to the girl who'd stayed on stage playfully teasing her friend by telling everyone how nervous she'd been to sing in front of them.

"But you better get used to it!" the redhead shouted excitedly, "Because you're starting at NYADA, baby!"

People around Kurt and Blaine whooped and clapped as the blonde girl flipped the redhead off and took a sip from her glass. Kurt chuckled at the pair before turning back to Blaine, smiling widely at the sight of their joined hands on top of the table. It was so nice being around people who didn't give them dirty looks if they kissed or held hands.

"That. Was _the _greatest rendition of that song I've ever heard since Idina Menzel", Kurt said, still baffled by the performance.

Blaine nodded in agreement. "They were amazing"

Kurt lifted his glass from the table and twirled the straw on his coke before taking a sip, watching a young man climbing up on the stage with a guitar in mild interest.

"What's NYADA?" he asked and set his drink down. "Have you ever heard of it?"

Blaine shook his head thoughtfully. "No, I don't think so..", he paused to dig out his phone and Kurt grinned widely at him.

"You're going to google it aren't you?"

"Yeah, of course. I can't stand not knowing something", Blaine mumbled, tapping the screen with his free hand while the other kept rubbing circles on Kurt's hand with his thumb. Kurt didn't think Blaine was even conscious of what he was doing, it was just so natural for them, and that made him giddier than anything Blaine had ever done.

"Oh, I know", Kurt laughed.

Blaine raised his eyebrows while the man on stage finished his introduction of himself and began playing.

"You probably won't remember, but when we were younger and that girl, what was her name? Oh yeah, Sandra, yes, her mother was pregnant and you-"

"Oh god, I remember that", Blaine groaned in embarrassment, ducking his head to avoid looking at Kurt who was still grinning like an idiot.

"And you asked how the baby had gotten into her belly, because you were afraid she'd eaten it. And you wouldn't stop asking! You even did 'research'!" Kurt giggled, adding air-quotations around the word, referring to the time when a seven-year-old Blaine had spent an entire day digging through all of his toys and books in search of clues. He had even worn his father's white dress shirt as his lab coat, and taken a pair of goggles from their garage.

"Oh god, mom still tells that story and shows the pictures every time someone visits us", Blaine muttered, sounding annoyed.

"Aw, c'mon. It was cute", Kurt said teasingly with a pout on his lips.

"And so was the time when you proposed to my dad", Blaine countered, laughing at the sheepish look on Kurt's face.

"That's not- I-.. You're horrible!"

Blaine kept laughing, not caring about Kurt's outburst. They got some confused looks from the tables nearby them, but most of the people who were watching them quickly returned to listening the music.

"I had almost forgotten that, and now you just throw it in my face like that?" Kurt accused with mock hurt in his voice.

"Well you're the one who started it. It's in the rules of a healthy relationship; both parties must experience equal amounts of embarrassment because of their childhood stories"

"You really are a dork", Kurt mumbled, but with a happy smile on his lips.

Blaine stuck his tongue out playfully before returning back to finding out about NYADA. The man on the stage kept singing and Kurt turned his head slightly to see him better. He couldn't recognize the song, but it sounded good. Quiet and soft.

"This is nice", Kurt whispered.

Blaine lifted his eyes back up and placed the phone on the table while the page was loading.

"Sorry?"

"I said this is nice. Spending time with you like this", Kurt repeated and squeezed Blaine's hand softly. "Just the two of us"

"Yeah", Blaine agreed, giving the other boy a look Kurt had started to call his 'heart-eyes'.

They smiled dreamily at each other while the music swirled around them, their fingers tracing patterns on each other's knuckles. It really was amazing. Blaine found himself thinking of them like this years from now; living in New York, sitting in a small dimly lit place, smiling at each other over the table.

Their moment was interrupted by a loud rumble coming from Kurt's stomach.

"Oh god, sorry", Kurt laughed with Blaine, his cheeks reddening quickly.

"No, it's okay", Blaine assured with a light chuckle. "We probably should get going anyway"

They got up from the table and clapped along with everyone else as the man finished his song before pulling their jackets on. They walked outside of the bar, pausing at the door so Kurt could put Blaine's scarf on his neck for him and peck him on the cheek.

* * *

"I was not expecting falling in love with a sandwich, but oh my god!"

Kurt laughed as Blaine moaned at the taste. The girl who was mopping the floor was watching them with clear amusement, as Blaine shoved his sandwich towards Kurt's face, ordering him to taste.

"Blaine, no! Stop! You're making a mess, you idiot", Kurt scolded, but the little giggles he kept letting out definitely took some edge off the words.

"No I won't, you have to try this!" Blaine whined.

Kurt rolled his eyes and caved in, leaning forward so Blaine could push the sandwich in his mouth.

"Oh mah ghah", Kurt groaned and closed his eyes. Blaine made an 'I-told-you-so' face and smiled at his boyfriend while he chewed.

"That is the greatest sandwich I've ever tasted", Kurt finally said after he'd managed to swallow the piece. He went to take another bite, but Blaine quickly pulled the sandwich back to himself and clucked his tongue disapprovingly.

"Nuh, uh. You already ate your panini"

"But that wasn't as good", Kurt said with a pout on his lips. "Pretty please, give me another bite"

"No"

"Blainey"

"No"

Kurt huffed and leaned back on his chair while glaring at Blaine as he munched his sandwich. But then a devilish smirk rose on his face. Kurt leaned back forward, resting his elbows on the table and placing his chin on top of his hands.

"I won't give you any of my cheesecake"

Blaine's mouth hanged open, frozen mid-bite. He slowly lowered the sandwich as his eyes squinted at Kurt.

"You wouldn't"

"Try me"

"Oh my god, you guys are just too adorable!" the girl (whose presence both Kurt and Blaine had forgotten) cooed, leaning on her mop with an adoring look on her face.

Both boys were at loss of words. They stared at the girl for a moment before Blaine finally managed a sheepish smile and a mumbled 'thank you'. While this happened Kurt had already taken a piece of the sandwich, and the girl was trying to stifle her giggles against the back of her hand. Blaine eyed the two of them, clearly not having noticed what Kurt had done, while Kurt winked at the girl.

"So, uh, you wanted some cheesecake right?" the girl asked sweetly and gestured towards the counter where the dessert treats were.

"Yes, thanks. I hope it's no bother, it's already past your closing time", Kurt said apologetically, while Blaine ate the last of his sandwich.

"Oh, no bother at all!" the girl replied with a wave of her hand as she took two slices of the cheesecake on a plate and hurried back to the boy's table. Kurt and Blaine thanked her, both of them starting to dig their pockets, but she quickly interrupted them.

"It's on the house, boys!" she said with a wink.

"Oh.. Thank you", Blaine thanked, nudging Kurt's foot under the table so that the other boy -who had already munching on his slice- would thank her too.

"Oh, yeh. Thank'", Kurt said with his mouth full of cheesecake, making the girl giggle again.

"You're welcome. I'll leave you to it now"

She then left, leaving Blaine shaking his head at Kurt, who'd somehow already managed to eat half of his slice.

"And you're the one who always complains about Finn eating like a pig", he teased before taking his fork and digging into his own dessert.

"I don't eat like a pig", Kurt protested, "I eat like a chipmunk. Like an adorable, little chipmunk"

Blaine giggled at the face Kurt was making in his attempt of looking like a chipmunk and scooped some of the whipped cream on top of his slice to poke Kurt's nose with it.

"Yes, you were right. You _are _adorable"

* * *

Kurt woke up to a feeling of something pressing down on his ribcage. He blinked his eyes open and tried to rub them open, only to find that his right arm was trapped under something. No wait. It was trapped under someone.

He smiled down on the sleeping figure of his boyfriend who had his head resting on top of Kurt's chest and both of his arms squeezing tightly around him. The room was already bathed in morning light and Kurt could see small pecks of dust dancing through the air. Everything was peaceful and warm.

He stroked Blaine's curls softly while humming a random tune under his breath. His fear of spending the night in the same bed as Blaine had proven to be completely unnecessary. Just when he was about to ask about the rose pedals when they'd walked into the bedroom, Blaine had quickly explained that just because they were sleeping in the same bed, it didn't mean that neither of them was obligated to do anything.

Clearly he hadn't known anything about the petals either, and Kurt could've nearly laughed with relief. Instead he'd just hugged Blaine close and kissed him goodnight, before both of them had climbed in the bed. At some point of the night Blaine had apparently rolled to Kurt's side of the bed and Kurt couldn't say he was the least bit annoyed by it. He pressed his nose against Blaine's soft mop of hair and placed a soft kiss there.

"Mmmh", Blaine let out a sleepy sound and rubbed his face against the t-shirt Kurt had slept in. "Morning"

"Morning", Kurt answered with a happy smile as Blaine craned his neck to look up into Kurt's eyes.

"What time is it?" Blaine asked, his question accompanied by a yawn he tried to stifle with his hand.

Kurt chuckled at the cuteness before squinting his eyes towards the clock on Blaine's bedside table.

"Uh, half eleven?"

"Oh, wow", Blaine mumbled pulling his arms away from Kurt and stretching them above his head. "I don't think I've ever slept this late"

"Because, you're an annoying early riser who usually wakes up at six AM and won't stop causing noise until everyone else is up too", Kurt said and pecked Blaine on the cheek, before pushing himself up with help from his free hand.

"Honey, would you mind giving my hand back?" he asked as he tried to wiggle free the hand that was underneath Blaine.

"Oh, sorry", Blaine said sheepishly and rolled completely off of the bed. He pushed himself up from the floor and yawned again, before looking around in search of his phone.

"You going to call Jonathan and the devil twins?" Kurt asked as he stretched his back and walked over to the door that led directly into the bathroom.

"Yeah. They're probably crestfallen because their attempt of sabotaging our date failed"

Kurt chuckled and grabbed his toothbrush from the sink. Blaine patted in a moment later and wrapped his arms around Kurt from behind, placing his chin on Kurt's shoulder and pressing a small kiss against his neck. Kurt gave him a warning look through the mirror, toothpaste starting drip down his chin.

"I told them to meet us in the lobby in an hour. We just have to tell mom and dad where we're going and then we can go get breakfast with them"

Blaine let go of his boyfriend while Kurt spat out the toothpaste and rinsed his mouth with water before turning around to face him.

"Okay", Kurt said and pointed his toothbrush towards Blaine, "but where having breakfast at Tiffany's"

"I wouldn't settle for less", Blaine agreed and tried to lean forward to kiss Kurt, but the other boy batted him away with a quiet mumble about morning breath.

* * *

The next four days passed in a twirl of shopping trips, meals with Blaine's parents, and sightseeing with Jonathan, Nick and Jeff. Kurt was enjoying everything the city had to offer and he couldn't believe how fast time was flying. He never wanted to leave New York or stop spending his nights together with Blaine, wrapped up in warm embraces and soft kisses.

He sighed longingly, making Jonathan lift his eyes from the back of the book he'd just bought and raise his eyebrows questioningly.

"What's wrong?" the shorter boy asked and set his book down, gazing over Kurt's features in worry.

"Oh, nothing's wrong, I just.. This place is awesome isn't it?" Kurt said quietly, squeezing the cup of hot chocolate he'd bought with Jonathan.

Jonathan nodded, looking around himself. "Yeah, it is"

They were sitting on a bench in Central Park since Kurt had been very persistent in walking through it. Blaine, Jeff and Nick had ran off a moment ago. Jeff because he's seen "the hottest girl ever", Blaine because he was worried that Jeff would get slapped and Nick because he hoped he could be there to see the slap.

"I'm going to live here someday", Kurt said, sounding very sure of himself.

Jonathan nodded, smiling widely. "Of course you are. You belong here, Kurt. Everyone can see it"

"Really?"

"Yes, yes, of course!" Jonathan laughed. "You're too big for Ohio. In this city you could become a world-famous fashion designer or take Broadway by storm!"

Kurt giggled alongside his friend before their laughter subsided and they gazed across the park together, watching the people walking by.

"You're right", Kurt said with a smile and lifted his hot chocolate to click it against Jonathan's, "Here's to my bright future!"

* * *

Times Square was even more crowded on New Year's eve than it looked like in television, Kurt had noticed as soon as he and Blaine arrived there. Everyone was screaming and wearing ridiculous clothes, getting wilder the closer midnight came. He was almost completely unable to move in the crowd, but he didn't mind. It was perfect.

"I can't believe we're spending our first New Year's eve together in New York!" he shouted excitedly over the noise that was starting to become unbearable.

People around them were already starting to move restlessly. There was only thirty seconds until midnight.

"I know!" Blaine shouted back laughing happily. His laughter disappeared quickly, however and Kurt's face scrunched in worry.

"Blaine? Are you okay?"

_Ten._

"Yeah, I- I just want to say something", Blaine said, swallowing nervously and clasping both of Kurt's hands in his.

_Nine._

"Kurt, you're my best friend"

_Eight._

"You have been since I was six, and-"

_Seven._

"I want you to know that I never, ever want to let go of you"

_Six._

" And I want to live here with you someday", Blaine admitted with a soft smile. Kurt could feel his heart swelling in his chest.

_Five._

"And I know that we're still young, and we haven't been together that long-"

Kurt realized that to people around them Blaine's words probably sounded like a proposal, but that thought quickly disappeared from his mind when Blaine looked into his eyes with more emotion than he'd ever seen.

_Four._

"And we shouldn't be talking about future like this yet, but I don't care"

Kurt was mentally willing the clock move faster. He just wanted to kiss Blaine already.

_Three._

"Because..."

_Two._

_One._

"I love you"

Kurt flung himself towards his boyfriend, sending the two of them nearly toppling to the ground. The press of Blaine's kiss should've probably felt familiar and boring by now, but he knew he could never grow tired of it. People around them were shouting even louder than earlier, and someone stepped on their toes, but neither of them noticed. They were too wrapped up in each other.

Their kiss was slowly turning more passionate when Kurt finally realized that he hadn't said he loved Blaine back yet. He pulled away from the kiss with some reluctance from himself and a lot of protesting from Blaine, but when he smiled at his boyfriend, breathless and pink-faced they both felt nothing but pure happiness.

"I love you too, Blaine. God, I love you so much", Kurt mumbled before he couldn't fight it anymore and leaned back to the kiss.


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N: here have some more fluff. and i'm going to give you a warning for this chapter; objectifying of one Kurt Hummel.**

* * *

"... and then we kissed in Times Square at midnight"

Rachel, Mercedes, Tina and Brittany who were sitting across the table from Kurt let out small cooing sounds as they smiled brightly at him. The only person who wasn't smiling was Santana. She crossed her arms over her chest, allowing the others to continue congratulating Kurt for his and Blaine's amazing trip before she lifted her hand to shut them up.

"Hold on just a sec", Santana said looking pointedly at Kurt, "What I'm getting from this, is that you had your own hotel room, a bed covered in rose petals and delicious desserts enough to make anyone horny, and somehow you still managed to spend the nights by _cuddling_"

Kurt felt his cheeks warming, but he chose to ignore it and cleared his throat, letting his eyes drift away from Santana's and focus on his coffee mug. The other girls glared at Santana (well, except for Brittany who was busy examining her hot chocolate) as Rachel launched into one of her speeches.

"Kurt, don't listen to Santana. She's by no means a reliable source of any kind of relationship advice", Rachel said, smiling softly at Kurt. She was clearly going to continue but Santana beat her to it.

"Oh shut it, Berry. It's not like you'd know anything about sex anyways", Santana snapped to the short brunette before turning her eyes back to Kurt and leaning her head against her hand.

"So, Kurtie-boy.. What's with the hold up? Haven't you two already been together like, what? Six months?"

"Two, Santana", Kurt said tiredly, shifting on his seat. "And I'm really not comfortable talking about my.. sex life with you"

"Yeah, leave him alone", Mercedes agreed and dragged her chair closer to Kurt so she could wrap her arm around his shoulders, "That is between Kurt and Blaine, and they don't need your overflowing sex-addictiveness to mess with them"

Santana lifted her arms up in surrender, but the smirk that had snuck on her face kept itself plastered there.

"I'm just saying. Are you sure you both feel the same way about this "going slow"-thing?"

Kurt opened his mouth to give his snappy answer, but closed it again when he realized he and Blaine had never really talked about sex. Only the short assurance that they weren't obliged to do anything just because they were sleeping in the same bed.

Kurt's silence seemed to reinforce Santana's view on the matter, because the smile on her face just kept widening.

"I thought so. I mean, in my relationships the sex comes pretty fast", Santana said, her words causing a few snorts from the other girls.

"Yeah, because that's all you do in your relationships ", Tina scoffed with a roll of her eyes.

"That's not true", Brittany chimed in, "Sometimes we take bubble baths, too"

Kurt frowned alongside the others before shaking his head and deciding that Brittany was Brittany, so he shouldn't get too distracted by what she said.

"Look, Santana", he started, willing himself to smile politely at the girl, "I'm very touched by your concern, but I can assure you, that both Blaine and I are satisfied with where our relationship is standing"

Santana nodded with an indifferent look on her face. "Fine. Really, it's your relationship. But just think about it. Two months is a long time. Maybe your polite little boyfriend is starting to get weary of waiting"

* * *

Santana's words were still bugging Kurt when he arrived back to Dalton from the Lima Bean. He kicked the ground angrily as he got off the bus and walked to the school gates. Stupid Santana, and stupid ideas she was giving him. If Blaine would want to "take the next step" he'd talk to Kurt. Kurt was certain of it. They always told each other everything.

Kurt nodded absently to himself. Yes, Blaine would've talked to him.

But then again, deciding to have sex was sort of a big deal. Maybe Blaine _was _only waiting for Kurt to make the first move. What if he really was starting to get tired of waiting? Ethan had said that Blaine had plenty of admirers... Surely Blaine would never..?

Kurt shook his head to rid himself of thoughts like that. He loved Blaine and Blaine loved him. Everything was okay.

"-urt! Seriously, are you deaf?"

Kurt spun around quickly, which was clearly the wrong thing to do since he ended up banging his forehead against Ethan and sending the both of them groaning in pain.

"Oh my god, Ethan! I'm so sorry, I wasn't paying attention at all", he apologized swiftly and lifted his hand up to touch Ethan's cheek, though the boy was already holding it himself.

"No, it's- ouch- it's okay", Ethan said, grinning widely despite his chin was still throbbing. "What were you thinking hard enough to miss a shouting, five-foot ten teenager?"

"Sex", Kurt answered without thinking. His eyes widened and he pulled his hand away from Ethan's face to smack it over his mouth. Shit, did he always have to be so blunt? Ethan bit his lip to stop himself from laughing.

"Oh?" Ethan muttered before swallowing his laughter. "Well, that's nice. I mean, there's nothing to be embarrassed about. I was thinking about sex a while ago, too. I hear it's pretty common amongst teenagers and-"

"Just. Stop talking, please", Kurt mumbled behind his hands, sounding very embarrassed of himself which only made it harder for Ethan to control his laughter. "I didn't mean to say it aloud"

The two of them kept walking through the yard towards the classrooms and the library. Kurt hadn't actually spoken to Ethan yet after the vacation ended, since they had only been to school for two days. And he had missed his friend, even though he was an annoying moron, who wouldn't stop chuckling to himself.

"So..", Ethan said expectantly with a playful smile on his lips, "Why were you thinking about S-E-X?"

Kurt rolled his eyes and hitched the bag on his shoulder a bit higher.

"Santana was being an idiot"

"Santana is the one with the.. fake boob situation, right?" Ethan said, making a rather inappropriate gesture with his hands, but it only made Kurt snort and nudge him gently with his elbow.

"Shut up. But, uh, yeah she is", he admitted with a laugh.

"Well, what'd she do?"

"Nothing. She just, kind of- said some things about me and Blaine. Things that were closely involving our.. intimacy level", Kurt muttered, blushing a light shade of pink.

"Aww, Kurt! You're too cute!" Ethan cooed and suddenly his hands were on Kurt and pulling the younger boy against his chest so Ethan could squeeze him tightly. Kurt let out a surprised squeak and was just about to start protesting when a voice cut him off.

"Well, I certainly wasn't expecting finding this outside the library..", Blaine said loud enough to catch Ethan and Kurt's attention. He was smiling, which was a bit surprising to Kurt, but he definitely wasn't complaining if his boyfriend was ready to accept Ethan.

"Hi, Blaine! I- Ethan let go off me", Kurt laughed when he tried to leave, only to have Ethan squeeze him even tighter. That made Blaine's eyes darken and his smile turn more forced than it already was, but Kurt was too busy pushing his friend away to notice.

"No", Ethan mumbled with a pout on his voice. "Your boyfriend's had you for two weeks, it's my turn now"

"Actually, it's my turn", Blaine interrupted again, pleased with himself when he saw the disappointed look on Ethan's face as he finally let go of Kurt. "Kurt promised to help he with my English assignment"

"Which you were supposed to write during the vacation", Kurt scolded, but with a happy smile as he took his boyfriend's hand.

"Well, I guess I just got distracted by something. Or _someone_", Blaine teased back, leaning closer to kiss Kurt.

"Uh, I'll get going then", Ethan muttered awkwardly, making Kurt turn his head away from Blaine, unintentionally ruining his kissing attempt.

"I'll stop by your dorm later, okay?" Kurt said apologetically, earning a smile and a nod from Ethan.

"Yeah, I'll be waiting. Bye, Kurt. Blaine", Ethan nodded his goodbye at Blaine whose hand twitched up in a gesture with some resemblance to a wave.

After Ethan had disappeared the couple walked to their dorm while Blaine showed Kurt the books he'd already gotten from the library to help them with the assignment. Kurt listened Blaine's explanation carefully, not mentioning the talk with Santana when Blaine asked him about his coffee date with the girls though it was still burning in the back of his mind.

* * *

Kurt sighed tiredly when he finally got to his room and flopped down on the bed. Saying that the day had been tiring would've been an understatement. After Blaine had finally finished his assignment and very reluctantly let Kurt to leave his room, he'd went to talk with Ethan. He didn't mention Santana again to him either.

Instead they talked about their Christmas. Kurt felt a small stab in his heart when Ethan told him that his father had passed out in the snow and since their mother had been too "medicated" to realize it, Ethan had been forced to carry him inside with Erica.

Ethan quickly dismissed the sad look on Kurt's face and his offers of some sort of help with a easy smile and a casual "We'll be fine". Kurt suspected it was because Ethan didn't want to be a charity case, but he didn't push.

"What are you thinking?"

Kurt was startled out of his thoughts when he was reminded that Jonathan was in the room as well, wearing his pajamas and fiddling with his laptop on his bed. He was looking at Kurt behind his glasses with a curious look on his face.

Kurt straightened up on the bed and pulled the blazer off of his shoulders and loosened his tie before talking. He knew he couldn't talk about Ethan so he decided just to ask the same question that had been bugging him since afternoon.

"How can you tell that it's time to have sex?"

Jonathan's eyes widened and he nearly choked on his own spit because of his sharp intake of breath. Kurt jumped off of the bed to help his friend by patting him on the back while he coughed violently. After a few seconds Jonathan had finally regained his ability of breathing and he was straightening his glasses with a red face.

"I-uh.. I-I- What got you to think about that?" he stuttered out, trying to sound composed, but failing rather badly.

Kurt let out a frustrated sound and sat down next to Jonathan, fiddling with his fingers nervously.

"I just- I don't know. My friend, Santana, just said some things today, and I'm not sure if I should care about them or not", Kurt started, "Like, do you think Blaine and I should have sex?"

That caught the other boy off-guard.

"Well.. I", Jonathan tried to say, but he just ended up clearing his throat several times. He was not the right person to come talk to about this! He had never even dated anyone. _Okay, Jonathan, play it cool. Take the mature way. No blushing. State facts. You're good with that._

Jonathan took a deep breath and pushed his glasses to a better position before talking.

"You two have been together just a little over two months which is not that long, but really there is no timetable for.. sexual intercourse. Have you- Have you two talked about it?"

Kurt shook his head. "Not really. And I don't- I don't want to seem over eager by bringing it up, but then again, I can't be sure what he wants without asking him first. And I don't even.. like, I've never really looked stuff up. I know the basics, but.."

The way Kurt was looking at Jonathan told the other boy exactly just how much he needed to talk about this. But It was still hard to try to help out a friend, if you had no idea how to solve the problems he was having.

"Maybe.. Maybe you could talk to someone else about this?" Jonathan said carefully and took Kurt's hand in his with an apologetic smile. "I mean, I'd love to help you with this, but my knowledge about this matter, is quite, um, non-existent"

"Who could I talk to? I mean, Blaine's the one who I'd talk about this sort of thing before we began dating, but...", Kurt muttered with a thoughtful expression on his face.

"How about your dad?" Jonathan suggested hopefully.

"Oh god, no!" Kurt shrieked and took his hand back from Jonathan to smack him. "What's wrong with you?"

Jonathan covered his chest with his hands to prevent Kurt from hitting him again as he wondered who else might Kurt be able to talk about this, and actually get some opinions and information.

"How about Rachel?"

"I'm pretty sure I don't want to live through a sex talk with Rachel Berry. She'd probably burst into song at some point", Kurt said matter-of-factly as both of them shuddered at the thought. Jonathan had never met the girl personally, but from the stories he'd heard, even he knew that was true.

"What about... What about Santana? That was her name right?" Jonathan said, "I mean, if she's the one who brought this up, then she probably wouldn't any problems with talking about it?"

Kurt considered this for a moment. True, Santana did have a lot of information on the matter.. And she definitely wouldn't shy from telling her own opinion as clearly as possible.

"Okay, she could actually work", Kurt said with a pleased smile, "I'll go call her right now! Thanks, Jonathan"

* * *

Blaine walked out of his biology class, feeling like falling asleep to the closest surface he could find. A two hour lecture about the fascinating world of plant cells was more than enough to get anyone question their desire to live.

He rubbed his eyes tiredly and ran his fingers through his lightly gelled hair, that had already began to break free from its confines. The hallway was full of chattering boys and Blaine attempted to smile and nod at everyone who greeted him. Sometimes being the main soloist of the Warblers was really tiring.

There was someone who he couldn't spot in the crowd though, and just so it happens that person was the one he wanted to see the most.

"Jonathan!" he shouted when he noticed the small boy who was trying to make his way into the library as quickly as possible to avoid being stepped on. "Jonathan, hi. Have you seen Kurt?" Blaine asked once he'd reached his friend.

"Yeah, he just left to Lima", Jonathan said as the two of them kept walking. "He said he wants to go see his friends"

"Didn't he just see them yesterday?" Blaine said with a pout on his face. So much for spending the afternoon by cuddling and watching Titanic together.

"You're acting like a lovesick, puppy", Jonathan laughed and squeezed Blaine's shoulder gently before they parted ways. "He'll come back later and you'll have lots of time to hang out and be cute with your boyfriend"

Blaine blushed at Jonathan's words and waved his goodbye to the boy. He was just about to step out of the building when the school's intercom started crackling and the voice of their principal, Mr. Carney, boomed through the hallways.

_"Good afternoon students and teachers of Dalton Academy. I'm pleased to inform you that the annual spring ball that we've organized every year with our sister school Crawford Country Day, will be held next week on Friday here in Dalton's ballroom. I hope as many of you as possible will arrive. And as a reminder, yes wearing a suit is mandatory and, no, alcohol is not allowed. So once again; I hope to see you next week on Friday from six PM to eleven PM"_

* * *

"There's no way in hell, I'll ever dress like that!"

Santana rolled her eyes at Kurt who was sitting opposite to her on the bed, leaning against the wall with a horrified expression on his face. When Kurt had asked if he could come to talk to her about something, she had never expected it to be this frustrating.

"Oh, c'mon!" she said with a snort, "Like you haven't worn leather ever before"

"I have, but that was.. at least I didn't look like I'd run off from some weird bondage shop's catalog!"

The girl sighed tiredly, but took the hamper with the outfit she'd been showing back into her closet. This was even more irritating than she'd thought. Of course she'd known that Hummel was pretty much the epitome of innocent little virgin, but still.

"Well, what do you suggest then?" she asked as she flopped back down next to the boy, clearly annoyed.

Kurt pressed his palms against his eyes for a moment as he took a deep breath. He then turned back to his friend with a sweet smile, keeping his hands clasped together.

"Santana", he started calmly, "when I said I needed to talk to you about sex, I didn't mean that I need your help to lure Blaine to having it with me"

Santana raised her perfectly sculpted eyebrows and gave Kurt a weird look. "So wait, you came to ask help from me, but you don't _want _to have sex with your boyfriend?"

"No! I mean, yes, I do, but I.. I don't know!" Kurt groaned and fell forward on the bed, pushing his face against the comforter.

This was too hard. Maybe he should just give up and let everything work itself out, forget the whole thing. Just keep going with Blaine like nothing had ever happened. Do coffee-dates and kissing. Forget sex. But if he'd said he really wasn't interested in having sex with Blaine, he'd be telling a humongous lie. Kurt was a teenage boy after all, and he had a very attractive boyfriend, who he'd only ever kissed before.

Well, maybe he'd never really showed Blaine that he was ready to do some things. Maybe not actual sex, but there was plenty of other things they could do. Even their make-out sessions were a bit too tame, for Kurt's liking. And now that they both knew they loved each other, wasn't the next logical step to.. take the next step.

"Oh my god, quit thinking about your boy toy for a second!" Santana whined, but with a knowing smirk on her face. "I can see your blush burning a hole on my bed sheet "

Kurt let out a weird muffled sound that carried some resemblance to speech before pushing himself back up and fixing his hair.

"San, could you... I mean, I think that I really do want to.. do stuff with Blaine. And I think you could help me with that", he said quietly, fumbling with his words.

"Well, that's nice. Good for you", Santana said conversationally, "Just what kind of assistance can I offer?"

Kurt got off the bed and wrapped his arms tightly around himself as he paced the room while biting his lip nervously.

"As you've probably noticed, I'm not- I don't consider myself that.. sexy", Kurt said hesitantly as he gestured towards his body and clothes.

"That's not true", Santana interrupted with a shrug, "I mean, I think you're kinda hot. I'd totally tap that"

Kurt's eyebrows scrunched in confusion. "Wait, I thought you.. Aren't you a lesbian?"

Something in Santana's eyes turned colder as she let out a small laugh. It sounded forced to Kurt and it made him feel a bit more warmth towards Santana.

"No, I'm not. Where'd you- where'd you hear that?" Santana said quickly, smiling widely.

Kurt shrugged. "I just- I thought that you and Brittany-"

"We're just friends"

"Are you sure? Because, I'm sure the New Directions wouldn't care if you were a les-"

"I'm sure, okay. Can we please get back to the operation _Hummel sexified_?" Santana snapped with a harsh look in her eyes. The tone made Kurt flinch involuntarily and he nodded at the girl.

"Yes", he said quietly, "Sorry"

* * *

Blaine was practically bouncing on his seat with giddiness. Despite yesterday's plans of spending time with Kurt had failed, today he'd get to have a sleepover with him. Though he had his suspicions that Burt wasn't the biggest fan of the idea despite he cared about Blaine almost as if he was his own son, he was still happy that he got to spend the night with Kurt, even if it meant sleeping on a mattress.

His good mood only improved when he turned to the Hummel-Hudson's driveway. The car was soon turned off and Blaine was already running up the steps before ringing the doorbell.

He heard someone running downstairs and to answer the door, and he smiled to himself when he thought of Kurt shouting everyone to let him get the door as always. Though this time, he didn't think he heard him shout.

_Huh. That's weird,_ he thought to himself, but the thought vanished and he smiled when he heard Kurt reach the door and twist the lock.

"Good evening, kind sir. How-"

Blaine froze during his greeting when the door was opened to reveal Kurt. Kurt who looked.. different. Blaine had definitely never seen him dressed like this. But he was also definitely not complaining.

Kurt bit his lip anxiously as Blaine kept staring at him. He had no idea was his boyfriend's silence a good or a bad thing, so he decided to hitch the oversized shirt he was wearing a bit higher to hide his shoulder from Blaine's eyes and stretch the shorts he usually only wore during his private exercising a bit lower so his legs wouldn't feel as bare.

Blaine kept staring his eyes sliding across Kurt's features, features he'd always noticed but never really looked at before. Like his legs. _God, how can a man have so long legs? _Or his jaw. Or his collarbones. _I just want to press a kiss there so much, please let me kiss you._ Or the plain fact that the Dalton uniform gave an entirely wrong picture of Kurt's entire body. Because he was by far, the most gorgeous, handsome man Blaine had ever met.

"Blaine?" Kurt's timid voice startled Blaine from his thoughts.

"Guh... I-I mean, hi", Blaine stammered, his cheeks flushed red.

"Hi", Kurt answered, now smiling to himself. _Okay, maybe this is going to work. _"Are you just going to stand there or are you coming inside?"

"Uh, yeah, I'll just- grab my bag and-", Blaine said and turned around to go back to his car.

"Blaine, you're already holding your bag", Kurt said gently, only barely managing to stop himself from laughing.

Blaine looked down on his right hand with confusion on his face, and sure enough, there was his bag. _Oh my god, this is going to be the most embarrassing night of my life, isn't it?_

* * *

_"Okay Hummel, rule number one; Always make up situations where it's necessary for you to bend over"_

_"Like... playing Twister"_

_"That's way too obvious. Try something more subtle, like.."_

"Kurt where's the remote?" Blaine shouted to the kitchen while looking around and lifting the couch cushions in search of the object.

"Just a second I'll get it!"

Blaine sighed and sat back down on the couch, his knees bouncing nervously. He'd already heard that Burt, Carole and Finn weren't home. And that had done nothing to the nervousness he'd started feeling ever since Kurt had opened the door.

The cabin doors in the kitchen closed and Blaine turned his head just in time to see Kurt walk into to room with their cheese plate, still wearing those blessed/cursed clothes. He set the plate down on the coffee table with a smile towarded at Blaine before walking over to the TV stand and dropping to the floor on his knees.

Blaine's eyes almost popped out of his head when Kurt leaned forward on his knees as he pushed his hands under the stand to get the remote that had somehow "accidentally" ended up under it. His ass was up in the air, his shorts riding up on his legs, leaving very little to the imagination.

"Aha!" Kurt let out a victory shout as he pulled his hands from under the stand, holding the remote in his hand as he turned around to smile at Blaine, whose eyes were staring still at the spot where Kurt's... bottom had been just a couple of seconds ago. _Have I always been such a pervert?_

Kurt smirked to himself while he walked over to the couch and sat down next to Blaine, pressing himself as tightly as possible against the other boy's side.

"So, what are we watching?" he asked excitedly, leaning his head on Blaine's shoulder.

"I- I picked _The Dark Knight_", Blaine answered, his mind still wandering back to Kurt's little display. "Is that okay?"

"Yeah, that's perfect", Kurt said with a smile as he took the remote to turn the movie on, before pulling his legs up and placing them over Blaine's lap.

Blaine took one look at them before gulping loudly. This was _definitely _going to be the most embarrassing night of his life.

* * *

_"And now Hummel, pay attention. This is very important;, you must lick things"_

_"Lick?"_

_"Yes, lick. A lot. And some mild sucking is also acceptable. Trust me, that works every time. Bananas, popsicles... Whatever you have, work with it"_

About halfway through the movie, after most of the cheese had been eaten, Kurt took a handful of grapes from the plate and began munching them, getting his fingers sticky with their juice. He could see Blaine watching him from the corner of his eye as he began licking his fingers clean.

This had to be some form of hell. Or heaven. Or both. Blaine could only stare as Kurt caught a stripe of grape juice that was travelling along his wrist with a swipe of his tongue. Kurt lifted his eyes too look at Blaine curiously under his lashes and Blaine quickly turned back to face the TV.

_"Now the final lesson is simple. Get in his lap and kiss him like you've never kissed him before. And don't give me that look, I __**know **__that the two of you have never had a proper make-out. That will definitely get him going"_

"It's kind of cold in here", Kurt said quietly, sneaking his arms around Blaine's neck with a soft smile on his face.

"Yeah, uh, do you- do you need a blanket 'cause I could get you o-", Blaine started but was cut off when Kurt suddenly straddled his lap and pressed his lips on Blaine's to kiss him. It was open-mouthed and if Kurt had ever really felt cold, Blaine suspected that he wasn't feeling it anymore.

He felt like he was on fire, every single cell on his body screaming at him to get closer to Kurt, kiss him harder and never stop doing it. Kurt drew his lips away with a weird wet sound, that in other circumstances had made Blaine grimace, but now it was probably the hottest sound he'd ever heard. Blaine was just about to ask what had gotten into Kurt when the other boy began kissing his neck, causing Blaine to let out an embarrassing moan.

"Ku-rt", he gasped, breathless, as he placed his arms more firmly around his boyfriend's body. "Wha- what are we doing?"

"Kissing", Kurt mumbled against Blaine's jaw, his smile evident in his voice.

Blaine would've asked more, but he was silenced once more when Kurt kissed him on the mouth again, this time sweeter and slower than earlier. It felt amazing. Blaine hummed happily into the kiss, but when Kurt's right hand began to slide lower and lower on his chest, he was beginning to panic.

And then Kurt's hand was on his crotch.

They both pulled away from the kiss at the same time, both with equally scared looks on their faces.

Blaine because, oh wow, okay, he was not ready for that, and Kurt because, okay, _clearly _Blaine wasn't as turned on as he'd expected for him to be.

Neither of them looked at each other. Kurt was mortified. He'd practically thrown himself at Blaine, and he had only managed to make a complete fool of himself. Because, getting no physical response from your boyfriend when you're trying to be sexy for him, is a really big self-esteem killer.

Blaine kept fiddling with his fingers, trying to wrap his head around everything that had happened in the last two minutes. The movie kept playing on the background, but neither of them noticed.

"So, uh", Kurt started, trying to sound casual, "I guess, that was a bit too far?"

Blaine nodded in agreement, though he still refused to look into Kurt's eyes. "Yeah, maybe a little"

Kurt nodded as well, and then the silence returned. It seemed to stretch out for eternity, and finally Blaine decided to break it. But right at the same time he heard a quiet sob.

"Kurt?" he called worriedly, turning back to his boyfriend, who was now leaning his head against his knees, sitting on the couch and sniffling quietly.

"Kurt, honey, what's wrong?" Blaine asked as he slid over to Kurt to hug him around his shoulders.

"I'm sorry, Blaine", Kurt said, lifting his head back up to show his puffy eyes, "I didn't- I mean, I wasn't thinking. I thought that the reason we never went further was that you didn't think I was ready, but I never thought that... that you just d-don't think I'm attractive enough"

Blaine was a bit startled by the long stream of incoherent words, but a second later he realized what Kurt had said.

"Kurt, Kurt, please look at me", he pleaded, placing his hand under Kurt's chin, "Of course I think you're attractive". Kurt snorted.

"Yeah, well, the evidence says otherwise", Kurt muttered to himself, throwing a quick look towards Blaine's.. lower regions.

"What? Kurt, no that wasn't you, I swear", Blaine hurried to explain, "I just, I don't think I'm- _I'm _not ready for something like that. I was a bit scared, to be honest"

"Really?" Kurt asked tentatively, lifting his eyes to look into Blaine's.

"Really"

Kurt sighed and leaned over to give Blaine a hug, which the other boy returned happily as they leaned their heads against each other's shoulders.

"I was such an idiot for listening to Santana", Kurt mumbled, "I should've just come talk to you"

"Wait. Santana?" Blaine repeated in confusion as he pulled away from the hug.

Kurt blushed a little and fiddled with the hem of his shirt awkwardly. "Yeah, I.. I asked her for advice. Because I really never thought that _you'd _be the one in this relationship, who would be scared to take the next step. So, uh, I thought I needed to show you that I was ready"

"Oh", was all Blaine said.

"But you- you aren't mad, right?" Kurt clarified.

"No, of course not. I mean, I do wish that you would've come talk to me instead of Santana, but it's not like I'm going to get some lifelong traumas because my boyfriend tried to have sex with me", Blaine said with a teasing smile, quickly returning the mood lighter.

Kurt laughed. "So, that's it? We're ready to put this in the box of "Stupid things Kurt Hummel has done" and never look at it again?"

Blaine chuckled at Kurt before pulling him down on the couch on his side and settling in front of him, pulling Kurt's arms over his shoulders.

"What, I don't get to be the little spoon?" Kurt asked jokingly, but pressed a small kiss in the back of Blaine's head.

"Of course not. I just got traumatized by my sex-driven boyfriend, I _deserve_ to be the little spoon"

"I thought you said you didn't get any traumas", Kurt said with a smirk.

"Shut up and cuddle with me"


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N: thank you once again for your reviews and all the new alerts and favorites this story has gotten. you're too awesome and i love you! sorry again for my speed in updating, but thank you for your patience!**

* * *

"Something smells good"

Blaine smiled as he felt Kurt wrap his arms around him from behind and tilted the frying pan slightly to show Kurt his cooking. He'd woken up an hour ago, and after having spent his sweet time just admiring Kurt's sleeping face and morning hair, he'd come downstairs to make breakfast for them.

"How does it look?" he asked while examining the golden brown hue of the pancake with pride. Definitely the best batch of pancakes he'd ever made.

"Hmm, okay, I guess", Kurt muttered with a teasing tone, "I think I'll be able to force one or two down my throat"

Kurt laughed as Blaine swatted him away with the spatula and turned back to his work, muttering something about ungrateful brats.

They were still the only two people in the house, Finn having spent the night at Puck's (which was a code for Quinn's, since apparently he and Rachel had broken things off a few months ago) and Carole and Burt at some of Carole's relatives.

Kurt lifted himself up on the counter next to the stove and smiled warmly at Blaine, who returned it with a ridiculous pout on his lips, silently asking for a kiss. Kurt couldn't help but to chuckle at his adorable boyfriend before leaning down to peck him.

"You didn't brush your teeth", Blaine said as he scrunched his nose with distaste, making Kurt laugh again. "Shoo, go away. No breakfast until you're clean"

Kurt left to brush his teeth and when he came back, Blaine had already finished the last pancake and set the table with two cups of coffee, syrup and a high stack of breakfast. His boyfriend smiled at him from where he was sitting, not having touched his own plate yet. Kurt sat down on the opposite side of the table and leaned to take a pancake, only to have his hand swatted away.

"C'mon we're doing this domestic-breakfast thing right", Blaine said with mock-seriousness, "I, your little husband, have made a delicious breakfast for you, and you must praise me and give me a kiss before neither of us can eat"

Blaine tapped his cheek for emphasis and Kurt rolled his eyes before leaning over to kiss it gently.

"The food looks wonderful, _dear_", he said mockingly and grabbed his fork, sticking it to the pancake on top of the high stack.

They ate in silence for a few minutes, smiling at each other over their coffee cups when their eyes met until Blaine set his fork down and clapped his hands together in that way that Kurt knew meant that he was excited to talk about something.

"So, I've been wondering... You know, no pressure and all that, but I really would like to go to the Dalton Spring Ball with you. And since we're kind of you know, dating, it would be kind of awkward if we wouldn't go together, but like I said no pressure"

Blaine was clearly joking, but Kurt still rolled his eyes at him tiredly. "Of course I'll go with you. But I have no idea what this Spring Ball thing is. And why is it even called a spring ball? It's in the middle of January for god's sake"

"No idea", Blaine said and shrugged, "But the ball is pretty simple. Nicely dressed teenagers having a goodtime under supervision... Dalton's prom, you could say"

Kurt smiled a little at that. To be honest, one of the things he'd been sad about because of his transfer other than missing his friends, had definitely been the fact that he wouldn't be there for Junior Prom.

"That sounds great. And you know, maybe we won't get the shit beaten out of us this time", Kurt snapped his mouth shut, but it was already too late. He mentally kicked himself when he saw the way Blaine visibly flinched at his words, like all of his memories of _that night_ had suddenly popped into surface. Which they probably had.

"Blaine I'm- I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..", Kurt apologized quietly, huffing in frustration when Blaine's expression didn't change, before getting up and circling the table to sit next to Blaine and hug him tightly. Blaine immediately responded by placing his hand in the small of Kurt's back as the other went on his neck.

"I know it's been a few years and I shouldn't be so scared anymore, but-", Blaine started only to be cut off by Kurt's gentle hushing.

"Shh, it's okay. I- I still see nightmares about it sometimes". It's the first time he's admitted it to Blaine. Or to anyone. After the night of the dance and getting released from the hospital, they'd both made a silent agreement to not to talk about it. So they hadn't. Though sometimes, when they'd had sleepovers, they'd heard the other cry in their sleep, and climbed on the other's bed so they could hold one another and feel safe. Neither of them had never mentioned it in the morning, and that had been fine with them.

"I do, too", Blaine said, equally quietly.

They kept their arms around each other for a little while longer until Blaine let out a small sigh and pulled away with a watery smile.

"I'm sorry, I just- I totally ruined this morning, didn't I?"

"No, you didn't. I promise", Kurt said and gave Blaine a quick kiss before getting up- ignoring Blaine's whine of protest- and grabbing the remaining pancakes from the table.

"What do you say we move this party to the living room and watch _Phineas and Ferb_ from Disney Channel together?"

"Sounds awesome"

* * *

Blaine yawned loudly when he walked through the front door of his house at eleven. His stay at Kurt's had been a little longer than in the original plan, but he hoped his parents would be in a good enough mood to not to ground him. Because that would mean missing the ball. And he definitely didn't want to miss it.

He kicked his shoes of and bent down to pick them up and place them on the shoe rack, before walking out of the foyer and shouting the mandatory "I'm home!" and then dragging himself up the stairs into his room.

He didn't expect to find his mother sitting there on his bed with red rimmed eyes and her phone clutched in her hand, while the other was holding her husband's. They we're both looking at Blaine with sad looks on their faces, and he quickly dropped his bag on the floor to climb on the bed and sit next to them.

"Has- has something happened?" Blaine asked, feeling stupid, because _obviously_ something had happened, but he just wasn't exactly sure of what to ask.

"It's your grandfather", George said, knowing Melanie wasn't in the best possible state to speak. "He's in the hospital"

Blaine felt a small pinch somewhere at the bottom of his stomach, but that was it. He had never really been that close with his grandfather (the one from Melanie's side of the family had died before Blaine had even been born), because of their "slight" disagreement in Blaine's desire to sing and dance and his "lack of interest in the opposite sex".

"That's awful", he said, trying to sound as sad as he could manage and placing his hand on his mother's back, "Why?"

"It's uh, s-something with his lungs, I think?" Melanie said with her raspy voice, while she looked at George for confirmation.

"Yes. I mean, I didn't understand everything, but apparently he won't make it through the week"

Blaine's mouth formed a small 'o' shape as he let out a surprised sound. He'd -as terrible as it sounds- waited that his grandfather would've been around a lot longer to shout at Blaine and curse him for his "sickness".

"And your grandmother, she can't be there by herself just waiting for _it _to happen", Melanie whispered, looking at Blaine with pleading eyes, "I know that you and your grandfather have never exactly seen eye to eye, but it would mean the world to her if we could be there for your grandmother's support"

Blaine exhaled a long stream of air before nodding. "Okay, I'll go. When are we leaving?"

"Tomorrow morning", George said quickly and squeezed Melanie's shoulder reassuringly, "And we'll stay as long as.. well, it's necessary"

Blaine nodded with resignation. Apparently he wouldn't be going to the ball after all.

"I guess I should start packing, then", he muttered quietly and leaned over to kiss his mother on the cheek. His parents understood that he was hinting for them to leave and they did so quickly, leaving Blaine with his suitcase and annoyance.

* * *

_"So, no spring ball I guess?"_

Blaine sighed and nodded to himself while speaking. "Yeah. I'm sorry, Kurt"

_"No hey, I understand. I'm not going to get mad at you because your grandfather got sick"_

"I just.. I really wanted for us to have some sort of a prom night", Blaine admitted as he plucked a piece of thread that was hanging from his pillow.

_"Well, there's always next year. The ball was an annual thing right?" _Even Kurt's comforting tone didn't make Blaine feel any better.

"But I wanted to go with you _this year_", Blaine whined.

_"Blaine"_, Kurt started again, more stern this time, _"You're in a middle of a family crisis. Yes, you and your grandfather aren't that close, but I think you should take this week to work on the differences between the two of you, instead of worrying about the ball. That's more important than some stupid dance"_

Blaine knew that what Kurt was saying was true and he knew Kurt knew it too.

"You're right. We'll go next year"

_"That's right. Tell your dad that me and dad are sorry for his father?"_

"Yes, of course. Bye Kurt"

_"Bye Blaine. I love you"_

"I love you too. See you next week"

* * *

The library was quiet while Kurt sat at one of the desks, his head leaning on his hand and his pencil hanging from the corner of his mouth as he read through his biology book and made small notes on his notebook. It was boring, but at least now that Blaine was spending the week away, he had more time for studying, and at Dalton studying would definitely not go to waste.

After another half an hour had passed Jonathan walked to him from his earlier tutoring session with some freshman with a smile on his face and two bars of _Milky way_ in his hand that he was waving happily.

"I thought you might need a little study booster after seventy minutes of hard work", he whispered as he got closer and sat on the table, throwing the chocolate to Kurt who caught it easily.

"Jonathan, I could just kiss you", he thanked as he ripped open the wrapper and took a bite, moaning at the taste.

"Well, I think we'll have to skip that. I'd hate to get punched in the face by Blaine"

Kurt chuckled at Jonathan's words before turning back to his books and pulling them closer so both of them could look at the text together.

"Have you heard anything from Blaine?" Jonathan asked after a moment had passed. "I mean about his grandfather"

"Not really", Kurt answered with a shrug while turning the page and scanning over it in mild interest. "Basically he just keeps yelling at the nurses who try to give him painkillers that 'he's a goddamn soldier and he can take the pain'. Other than that Blaine hasn't really heard him speak. I do hope they can have a little talk. I don't want Blaine to lose his grandfather when things are still so difficult between them"

Jonathan nodded in agreement, his eyes drifting to the clock on the wall. "Should we head to the dorm? I'm getting kind of hungry and you've been hanging here for at least an hour"

"Yeah, you go ahead and start cooking something", Kurt said with a smile, "I'll just pack my stuff and follow you"

"Are you sure? I mean, I can wait if you'd like-"

"No, no it's fine. Go start on the food. I bet Nick and Jeff are already starving"

Jonathan smiled at Kurt in that reluctant 'if you say so'- face as he waved his goodbyes and left the library. Kurt read a few more paragraphs and wrote some things down before starting to gather his things. He absently wondered what Jonathan had started to make for dinner as he reached for his last notebook on the table, only to have it snatched by someone else only seconds before he'd taken it.

"You're really not acting like a good friend, Kurt Hummel", Ethan said accusingly, but with a playful smile on his face.

Kurt's answer was a roll of his eyes as he grabbed the notebook from Ethan and shoved it into his bag. "What exactly have I done this time?"

"Well, you've been spending all your time with your boyfriend and completely ignored me, and even now when he'd out of town, you make no plans to see me. I'm hurt"

"I do not spend _all _of my time with Blaine. I was just here with Jonathan", Kurt said defensively as they began walking out of the library together.

"Well, you spend most of your time with him", Ethan countered, "How do you think that makes the rest of your friends feel?"

"You really came talk to me just to tell me how bad of a friend I am?"

Ethan grinned widely at Kurt and took a leap forward to get ahead of Kurt before beginning to walk backwards so he could see Kurt's face as he talked.

"No. Actually, I heard something about you not going to the spring ball because your darling Blaine isn't coming. That true?"

"Yeah. I'm just going to spend the night watching _Sex and the city_ with Jonathan since he isn't going either"

"Well that's stupid", Ethan said with a snort before stopping, blocking Kurt's way out of the building. "So, I have a proposition for you"

"Oh?" Kurt's eyebrows rose up in amusement as he watched the excited look on Ethan's face grow even more comical.

"Go with me"

Kurt let out a small disbelieving chuckle at that. Then he noticed how the expression on Ethan's face didn't change from its happy smile and twinkling eyes.

"I- Really? You want to go to the ball with me?"

"Uh, yes?" Ethan answered with a chuckle, "Why is it so hard to comprehend?"

"I'm- I don't", Kurt stuttered, stumbling over his words before huffing in frustration at himself and starting over, "I have never been asked to a dance by anyone other than Blaine, I swear I don't usually stutter like this. I'm just surprised"

"It's okay", Ethan said with an easy smile, something in his eyes shifting as he looked at Kurt, "You're cute when you get all flustered"

The younger boy's breathing caught in his throat. That was.. unexpected. How was he supposed to take that? It wasn't like the last time when Ethan had called him cute when he was still blushing because of his talk with Santana. That had been a playful remark between friends, but something in the other boy's eyes told Kurt that this time it wasn't just that.

Only then did realize all the other times when Ethan had complimented him or did little nice things to help him. Kurt had only thought that they were simple friendly gestures, but now he wasn't so sure. Well, he was kind of known for overreacting, but still, better safe than sorry. So he decided to ask.

"Um, Ethan", Kurt spoke tentatively, casting wary looks at his friend as he talked, "Why do you want to go the dance with me?"

"Well, you have no one to go with, I have no one to go with... It's pretty simple actually. I just want to spend time with my friend"

Kurt nodded at Ethan's words, hiding the way his brow was furrowed and his teeth biting his lip nervously.

"Look, Kurt", Ethan started, making the other boy snap his head up with his resigned tone, "if you don't want to go with me, I understand and-"

"I do", Kurt hurried to say quickly, his brain catching up only seconds later to realize what he'd said. Ethan's smile widened again as he stared at Kurt in surprise.

"You do?"

Kurt had a brief moment of inner panic. _What if he really does like me? What if he wants to take me as his date? What if he thinks I like him too? What if Blaine hears and misunderstands? What if he doesn't like me and I'm just looking like an idiot gaping at him while he's clearly waiting for an answer?_

"Yes", Kurt said, way too loudly to sound natural. His cheeks darkened as he cleared his throat and spoke again. "I mean, yes, I would love to go the dance with you. As your friend, I meant as friends. Because that's what we are. Friends"

Kurt slapped his palm on his forehead and hung his head in shame. _Good job, Hummel._ _You probably should've added a one "friend" more for good measure._

Ethan's face was twisted in a funny way, like he was trying really hard not to laugh when Kurt finally lifted his head and was able to look in his eyes. He punched Ethan's chest and brushed past him when the other boy couldn't help it anymore and burst into giggles.

"I'l- I'll see you tomorrow, dear friend. W-we can do all sorts of friendly things together. As friends!" Ethan called after him, laughing way too hard at his own jokes for them to actually be funny. Kurt flipped him off over his shoulder as he stomped over to his dorm, but not without a small smile on his lips.

* * *

"You can't!"  
"You won't!"  
"We'll stop you!"

Kurt had been waiting for a critical response from Nick and Jeff, but even Jonathan? He knew that most of his friends had some problems with Ethan and pretty much refused to hear his reassurances that he was a good person, but this was a bit extreme.

"Guys, why are you yelling?" Kurt said tiredly as he stirred the pesto pasta he was making, "I just said that I'm going to the ball after all"

"With Ethan!" Nick practically shouted, Jeff nodding vigorously beside him. "Why couldn't you just come with me and Jeff?"

"Well, because I don't want to get pulled in to some stupid prank you've been planning. And don't deny it, I saw the papers on your desk when I came to look for my shoes!" he added pointing at the two boys, successfully shutting them up before they even had the chance to protest. "Which reminds me, you own me a new pair of converse"

"Kurt please", Jonathan chimed in. "We don't want any problems between you and Blaine"

Kurt raised his eyebrows. "And how exactly could me going to a school dance with Ethan, as friends, cause problems between me and Blaine?"

Of course Kurt knew what they were thinking. Because he'd thought about it too, but in a slightly different way than his friends of course. They of course thought that Ethan saw Kurt going to the dance with him as an open invitation to, well, _defile _Kurt, and Kurt was worried that if Ethan _did _in case like him as more than friends, he'd take it as an encouragement. Both could very easily cause some sort of problems between him and Blaine.

"Well, you know. Blaine is kind of a.. jealous person", Jonathan explained quietly, trying to sound as polite as possible, "I mean, you have been friends for ages , so you're probably aware of that little quirk of his. And I think that his.. rather strong disliking of Ethan can get worse if he hears about you going to the ball with him"

Kurt shrugged, trying to look nonchalant though underneath the surface his thoughts were all over the place. He shouldn't have to be panicking about spending time with his friend like this. It wouldn't be exactly fair if Blaine actually got angry at Kurt or Ethan because of going to a dance.

Suddenly _Kurt _felt angry. Yes, that was true. Blaine had no right to dictate his life this way. (Though, he was kind of dictating his own life right now, because Blaine wasn't actually there to dictate it for him, but still.) Just having to think something as simple as taking his friend to a dance with him so hard and imagine how it will make _Blaine_ feel... That was completely unnecessary. He was capable of making his own decisions without having to run them through Blaine and have his consent.

The sudden sound of the wooden spatula Kurt had been stirring the pasta with hitting the counter made everyone in the room jump in surprise. Kurt shook his head to clear his thoughts, deciding he was not in the best mindset to keep talking to Jeff, Nick and Jonathan.

"Kurt? Is everything okay?" Jonathan asked carefully, his eyes wide with worry. Kurt shook his head again as he mumbled his reply.

"I'm fine. Just.. Not hungry anymore"

The three boys exchanged baffled looks as Kurt left the room, hearing his steps grow fainter as he raced down the stairs and out into the open air.

* * *

The snow was still thick, though the weather had been a lot less cold than usually in the winters. It took Kurt some time to make his way to the lake, but his frustration and angry thoughts that weren't directed at anyone in particular (at least that's what he told himself) kept his mind occupied so he didn't need to concentrate on walking.

The water had frozen a month or so ago, but everyone at Dalton seemed to know that the ice still wasn't that thick. It never was. The lake only ever froze right from the surface, so walking on it wasn't an option.

Of course, everyone thought that was common knowledge. Which was why no one had bothered to tell it to Kurt.


	27. Chapter 27

It happened so fast.

Kurt barely had the time to register the crack of the ice before he was falling through it to the dark, icy water. He let out a shrill scream as he fell, thinking somewhere in the back of his mind that if he was lucky, it might be loud enough for someone to hear. But then all traces of rational thinking disappeared from his head. Because the next thing he knew was water filling his lungs at his sharp intake of breath and the heavy weight of his clothes dragging him down.

_Oh my god, I'm going to die, _he thought, panic starting to bubble inside of him.

If you've ever fallen through the ice, you'll know how freezing the water is. And now that Kurt Hummel knew, he wasn't a fan. The icy cold water was like tiny daggers, stabbing him all over his body. And the water he'd inhaled wasn't exactly calming him down either.

Kurt's head was a mess of _oh, god, no please no I don't want to die, I didn't even mean to come here, I didn't mean to get so pissed at Blaine. Please, I just want to let him know that I love him _and _oh, fuck, fuck, fuck, I'm dead. _Which was why it was surprising that he actually could still notice when his feet hit the sand.

Though baffled by the fact that the bottom of the lake was so close to the surface, Kurt managed to brace his feet against it and aim himself up towards the light above him, before kicking the ground and popping his head through the surface. In that moment he was more grateful of the basic human need of living than he'd ever been.

He coughed and spluttered until he got all of the water out of his lungs, but his moment of joy was soon destroyed. Because only then did he realize that he had no idea how to get out of the hole in the ice. No one was anywhere near him and the water was still as freezing as ever. And he couldn't keep kicking to keep himself on the surface forever.

"Help!"

* * *

Jonathan gazed through the common room's window with a frown on his face as Kurt walked through the grounds, kicking the snow angrily from his way while stomping onwards. Jonathan was confused. He had no idea what had suddenly made Kurt leave like that. Well, he guessed that I had something to do with Ethan since they'd just been talking about him seconds before he'd left, but other than that he was clueless.

His thinking got interrupted when Jeff suddenly let out a frustrated grumble and hit his head against the counter.

"Okay, what the hell is wrong with him?" he demanded, pointing at the window Jonathan had been looking through. "Ethan Taylor is not good company, when is he finally going to understand that? Plus, when Blaine hears about this, he'll just get crazy jealous and then we'll have to live with a couple of fighting lovebirds!"

"You don't know that", Jonathan interrupted sharply, "You can't be sure about what's going to happen. Besides, it's Kurt and Blaine's relationship. We shouldn't get involved"

"Oh, aren't you being kind of a hypocrite right now, Johnny?" Nick chimed in and folded his arms over his chest with a serious look on his face. "Just a few minutes ago you were protesting such as much as we were"

Jonathan quieted. Nick was right. But he was just worried about Kurt, that's all. Kurt was already just as much of his friend as Blaine, Nick and Jeff were, and letting him go to the dance with Ethan and having it causing trouble between him and Blaine, especially if it meant them fighting... He didn't want that to happen to him. But he didn't want to meddle either.

"You're right, I'm sorry", Jonathan apologized quietly, "I'm just worried about him"

"We know", Jeff and Nick assured in unison. "And we need to talk to Kurt in a bit more gentle way", Nick continued, "At least we have to get him to tell Blaine about him going with Ethan. Because if Blaine comes to school and hears about it from someone else.."

All three boys shuddered at the thought. Blaine could be really scary sometimes. Especially when he was jealous.

"Okay, that sounds good. I'll talk to him when he gets back", Jonathan promised, turning his head to look out of the window again. Kurt had apparently been making his way to the lake, and moved really fast since Jonathan couldn't see him anywhere near the previous spot he'd been in.

Jonathan's eyes kept scanning the grounds, following the trail Kurt had left behind him. Then he saw where it ended.

He was on his feet faster than he thought was humanly possible and already running out of the door when he heard Nick and Jeff who'd ran to the window let out a long stream of curses before hurrying after him.

* * *

_Drowning is weird. __More peaceful than I expected._

Kurt's legs were weak from trying to keep his head above water, his head was hurting because of the lack of air and all of his limbs were already numb from the cold while he slowly sunk deeper and deeper, too tired to resist. His eyes were still open, though only barely, as he looked around himself in the crepuscular, green water, idly thinking that this probably wasn't the worst place he could die in.

Of course he knew there was a good chance he was going to die, he wasn't stupid.

No one had come to rescue him yet, and it was a long shot someone would show up before he was already dead. Everyone else was inside enjoying the warmth, and really, ending up here was his own fault for marching away like that. Maybe he should just give up. Stop holding his breath and let his lungs be filled with the freezing water and be done with it. At least then he would stop feeling so damn _cold._

Then suddenly the silence under the surface was shattered as someone's footsteps sounded from afar, making Kurt's head perk up slightly just in time to see a figure dive through the hole he'd created and grab his arm before pulling him back to the surface.

Then he blacked out.

* * *

"-unconscious for a while. No, he is- He's okay now, at least the doctor said there's nothing to worry about- No you don't need to come here, you'll see him soon enough.. Blaine, goddamnit, do you want me to call you paren-"

"Dad?" Kurt croaked, wincing at the sound of his own voice.

Burt spun around to face his son, a relieved smile spreading over his face as he walked over to him from the door to Kurt's hospital room (which Kurt had quickly realized from the awful minty green colors all around him).

"Blaine, he just woke up. Yes, I'll give the phone to him right now", Burt said, chuckling at the urgency he heard in Blaine's voice.

Kurt took the phone he's father was holding with a confused look on his face. He was feeling a bit groggy, but by the look of things, he had a very anxious boyfriend to calm down.

"Hi?" Kurt greeted quietly, clearing his throat to make his voice a bit stronger.

_"Kurt, oh my god, I was so worried! Jonathan called me and he told me everything. How could you be so stupid, you just marched to the lake, Kurt, do you have any idea what could've happened?!"_

Kurt flinched at Blaine's angry tone, pulling the phone a bit further from his ear until Blaine finished his rambling. And it was a long ramble. Kurt spent the most of it by examining his pajamas that he guessed Burt had picked up for him.

_"-and how you think that would've made me feel?"_

"You done?" Kurt asked tiredly, having missed about half of Blaine's speech.

_"Yes. How are you feeling?"_ Blaine continued, now sounding more calm and worried, rather than maniacal and garbled.

"Well, I've only had two experiences of blacking out and waking up in an hospital, but I think it's safe to say that it's not as great as they claim"

_"I'm- I really was scared, you know that right? You shouldn't go around falling in frozen lakes when I'm not there to help you up"_

Kurt smiled fondly at Blaine's soft voice, blushing when he saw his father eyeing him knowingly.

"Yeah, I- I'll try to avoid that from now on... I'll go now, but I'm going to call you later tonight. I have something I really need to talk to you about"

_"Sure", _Blaine paused for a moment before continuing with a quiet voice, _"I'm so happy that you're okay, Kurt"_

"So am I. And I really am okay, Blaine. You don't need to worry about me"

_"Okay. Well, bye. I love you"_

"I love you too, talk to you later"

Kurt hang up the phone and handed it back to Burt with a smile still playing on his lips. Burt snickered at his son, shaking his head to himself as he sat on the chair beside Kurt's bed.

"What's so funny?" Kurt asked, his eyebrow raised.

"Nothing. It's just funny to think that just a few months ago you both were still trying to make yourselves believe that you would only ever be just friends"

Kurt blushed and lifted his foot up from the bed to swat his father's arm. "Shut up"

Burt smiled fondly at his son. He really was glad for him and Blaine. For a long time Kurt had seemed pretty torn about having to spend his time in high school all alone, while every "normal" kid around him got to go around and asked the person he liked on a date without fear of being humiliated -or worse- beaten.

He shook his head to himself and sighed before turning his serious eyes to Kurt.

"Kurt... I would love to give you a speech about not ever walking on thin ice, but I trust that you've learned your lesson?"

Kurt nodded. "Yeah, I- I really have", he said with a small smile. "But at least I survived without any damage"

Burt kept smiling at Kurt warmly as he reached to brush his hair from his forehead.

"So, uh, when can I go home?" Kurt asked, glancing at the watch on his father's wrist. "I haven't been in here for too long have I?"

"Oh no, you were brought in a few hours ago after they got you awake. But you fell asleep pretty soon after, so the doctor thought it would be probably for the best to keep you here under surveillance. I can go talk to some of the nurses and ask?" Burt suggested and stood up from the chair.

"Okay. I'll just wait here", Kurt replied before pulling himself up into a sitting position to stretch his arms and back.

Almost immediately after the door had closed behind Burt it swung open again, revealing Carole and Finn who practically ran to the room with relieved grins on their faces.

"Oh, sweetheart! Thank god you're okay!" Carole exclaimed as she threw her arms around Kurt to hug him tightly. Kurt awkwardly patted his stepmother's back while using his other hand to give Finn a little wave.

"Hi guys", he greeted as Carole let go of him and sat down on the chair that Burt had been sitting on. Finn followed after her, sitting on the edge of Kurt's bed, offering a smile for his stepbrother.

"I'm really glad you're okay, Kurt", Finn said, making Kurt grin back at him. Though they were still trying to get used to being brothers, it was good to hear the sincerity in Finn's voice.

"I'm glad I'm okay, too. Now, why don't you tell me what's up with you and the glee club while we wait for dad?"

Carole and Finn stayed in Kurt's room to catch up with him while Burt was talking to the nurse. It hadn't been that long since the school had started again, but the three of them still hadn't had a lot of chances to talk.

With Kurt at Dalton and only visiting on occasional weekends, it was hard to try to get used to their new family. Though, Kurt had to admit as he watched Finn's lively explanations of the newest gossip in McKinley while Carole kept stroking his hand, he could've done worse.

* * *

The nurse that came to check up on Kurt before giving him a permission to leave was sweet enough to be quick with her examination after she saw how anxious Kurt was to get back to Dalton. He still needed to thank Jonathan, Nick and Jeff for saving him and since he was completely fine now, there was no reason for him to go to Lima, despite Carole and Burt were both still worried for him.

"You'll call us if anything comes up, right?" Burt asked through the car window, watching Kurt intently for any signs of discomfort.

"Yes, dad", Kurt answered, rolling his eyes tiredly. "I'm fine, I promise. I won't die just because I won't be sleeping in my own room tonight. Besides, I'm sure Jonathan is going to make certain I live to see another day"

"Okay. We'll see you in a few weeks, then?"

"Yeah, bye guys"

"Bye, Kurt!" Carole and Finn said in unison as Burt closed the window before driving off, leaving Kurt standing outside the dorm's entrance. He turned to the door and took a deep breath before walking through it. Dealing with his friends and calming them down would definitely be hard.

"Guys! I'm back", he shouted tentatively, worried that he would get buried under a pile of Warblers the minute they noticed he was there. Which he did.

Jeff, Nick, Wes, David and even Trent all ran down the stairs to him in various states of relief, while Jonathan trailed after them, smiling at Kurt with watery eyes. Kurt barely had the time to return the smile before he was already in the middle of the tightest group hug he'd ever been a part of.

"-never scare us like that again-"  
"-lock you up so you won't ever-"  
"-should beat you up myself-"

"Well, hello", Kurt greeted in amusement as he tried to worm his way out of the hug, "I like you all very much too, but you're kind of crushing my lungs"

The boys reluctantly pulled away from Kurt, all of them grinning widely at him.

"We're so glad that you're okay, Kurt", Wes said as everyone nodded alongside him.

"Yeah, your death would've cast a very unfortunate shadow over the ball", Jeff blurted, earning a slap to the back of his head from Trent and David.

Kurt chuckled at his friends, lifting his eyes back to the staircase when he heard a small giggle. Jonathan froze when Kurt looked at him and ducked his head bashfully. Kurt smirked before walking over to his friend and hugging him without any warning, causing a small, surprised yelp to fall from Jonathan's mouth.

"Thank you", Kurt said quietly against his ear before letting go and taking a step back to stand on the lower step so they were the same height.

"N- no problem", Jonathan replied, his cheeks tinted pink and a smile on his face. The two friends smiled at each other for a while longer until someone interrupted the moment with a loud cough.

"Okay then...", Nick muttered and clapped his hands together to gain everyone's attention, "How about we celebrate with some pizza?"

* * *

"You're lying!"

"No, I'm not! I've never ever made out with a boy!"

"Yes, you have! I was that boy, for fuck's sake!"

Kurt and Jonathan snickered and leaned against each other in order to stay upright as they watched Nick and Jeff bicker in the middle of the small circle they'd formed in order to play truth and dare. Wes couldn't hold his laughter anymore and the ice tea he'd been drinking flew right out of his nose, only causing for everyone else to start laughing even louder.

A sharp knock came from the door and everyone quieted. It was long past midnight and Dalton was very strict when it came to silence during nighttime. Jeff was the first to scramble up and brush the crumbs off of his shirt and pajama pants before walking to the door and opening it enough to poke his head out from the room.

"Why headmaster Morgan!" Jeff's cheery voice greeted, and everyone in the room shared looks of horror. Headmaster Morgan didn't spend that much time in campus during day much less at night, but when he was around he was not afraid to punish the students who were breaking the rules.

"What are you doing here at this time of the night?" Jeff continued, closing the door a bit more to make sure the headmaster didn't see the little gathering inside his and Nick's room.

"Good evening Mr. Baker", headmaster Morgan's low voice greeted coolly, "You and Mr. Daniels seem to be having quite a night"

"What makes you think that?" Jeff replied with a smile, "Nick is actually already sleeping. Poor guy fell asleep during a movie we were watching"

"Is that so?"

Kurt and Jonathan gulped simultaneously as they listened.

"Because I'm pretty sure I heard his voice just a couple of minutes ago. As well as a few other of your friends'", headmaster Morgan said, and it was easy for everyone to imagine the evil smirk on his face when he noticed the panic in Jeff's eyes.

"Well, uh, that's..", Jeff stuttered, trying to come up with an explanation that he didn't have.

"Mr. Baker", the man interrupted, "I understand that you're all happy that Mr. Hummel survived from his little mishap without any damage, but must I remind you about the rules regarding din during nighttime?"

"No, headmaster Morgan", Jeff said quietly, sounding resigned.

"Good. You get fifteen minutes to kick everyone out of your room. I'm not going to give you detention. This time", the headmaster added as he gave Jeff a pointed look.

"Yes, of course", Jeff said quickly, "Goodnight headmaster Morgan"

"Goodnight Mr. Baker. Tell Mr. Hummel we're all very pleased that he's okay"

"Of course", Jeff promised with a nod before closing the door and turning back to his friends, who were all already standing up with confused looks on their faces.

"So we.. didn't get detention?" Trent asked quietly with a raised brow while Jeff nodded slowly.

"Yeah, I- I think we didn't"

All of the boys let out a sigh of relief and grinned at each other before finally Nick spoke up.

"Well, you heard the man! Drag your asses out of here before he gets back"

* * *

The hallway was quiet and everyone else already fast asleep when Kurt and Jonathan tiptoed their way to the door of their room, careful not to cause any sound. The old carpet was scratchy against their bare feet and it was already pitch dark, which made walking the distance from the fourth floor to the third seem even longer than it was.

Jonathan unlocked his phone to give them some light when they reached the stairs to make sure neither of them wouldn't fall down and end up breaking their neck. Everything was going well until suddenly when they'd already reached the bottom of the stairs they heard a weird rustling sound, which made them cling to each other in fear.

"What was that?" Kurt whispered, looking around in the small circle of light the phone provided.

"I-I have no idea", Jonathan answered, "Maybe.. maybe it was a mouse?" he continued sounding hopeful.

"Well, I've been called a many things but never a mouse", came a third voice, startling the two boys and making Jonathan let out a small shriek, which was quickly silenced by Kurt's hand.

The voice laughed quietly and Kurt's shoulders slumped in relief before an annoyed expression settled on his face.

"Ethan, what the hell are you doing here?"

"Well, usually when your friend falls through thin ice, it's only proper etiquette to come and say hello to him and tell him that you're glad his okay", Ethan answered with a smile as he stepped into the light. Kurt's eyes widened a bit when he saw the small flower bouquet he was holding -which was clearly bought from a gas station- and suddenly all of the thoughts regarding jealous Blaine and going to ball with Ethan rushed back to him.

None of them uttered a word. Ethan only watched Kurt in expectation, while Kurt gaped at the flowers. Jonathan eyed Kurt and Ethan with a frown on his face before pulling his friend's hand off of his mouth.

"Kurt? I'll go now. Don't stay for too long, Mr. Morgan might still be coming back to check up on us", he said as he pulled away from his friend, shooting a wary glance towards Ethan.

"What? Oh, yes, of course", Kurt said quickly, snapping out of his trance and offering Jonathan a smile before the boy left him and Ethan standing in the hallway, Kurt still holding Jonathan's phone.

The silence kept stretching until Ethan started shuffling awkwardly on his feet before handing Kurt the bouquet he was holding.

"These uh, these are for you. You know for, not dying and all that"

Kurt took the flowers and though they were already slightly wilted, he smiled at Ethan and pulled him into a tight hug.

"Thank you", he whispered against his ear, feeling Ethan's arms wrap around him.

"I was really scared", Ethan admitted quietly, tightening his hold on Kurt. "When I saw the ambulance and heard what happened I just.. I completely freaked out. I even tried to get to the hospital, but since I don't have a car-"

"Shh, it's okay. It means a lot to me, you know? Knowing that I have friends like you and Jonathan who care so much about me"

Kurt didn't miss the way Ethan momentarily tensed at the word 'friends'. He frowned and pulled away from the hug, watching his friend's face intently.

"Ethan? Is something wrong?"

The older boy swallowed the lump in his throat before lifting his eyes to face Kurt properly. The look Kurt saw in them was oddly familiar, but still completely new. It was a weirdly soft look on someone who always seemed so sure of himself. It didn't look the same Ethan's face had looked after his own father had beat him, far from it, but somehow it still managed to hold the same vulnerability.

"Ethan?" Kurt repeated, more warily this time.

"Kurt I- The other reason why it was so scary for me to think about you dying was that..", Ethan said quietly, "I couldn't stand the thought of you not knowing how I feel about you. How I _really _feel about you"

Kurt's breathing caught in his throat. Was this exactly what he'd been fearing?

"Ethan, no. I, I just I can't- Blaine-"

"I know, and I hate myself for this, Kurt, you must believe me", Ethan said, sounding desperate, "I could never come between the two of you, but I- I just can't help feeling the way I do about you", Ethan finished, the look in his eyes turning softer and adoring.

"Kurt", he began again, ignoring Kurt's shocked expression as he reached for his hand and clasped it in his, "You are the most kind and funny and smart and amazing person I've ever met. And, if thinking that way is wrong then I-"

"Of course it's wrong Ethan!", Kurt cried out, only then remembering that they were in the middle of a deserted hallway at night. "Ethan, I love Blaine. You know that. And I can't- I can't just _leave him_, but I don't want to hurt your feelings either", he continued in a quieter tone.

"I'm not asking you to leave Blaine", Ethan said quickly, looking shocked even at the idea, "No, of course not. I would never do that"

"Then what do you want?" Kurt demanded.

"Nothing", Ethan said with a wide smile. "This is all I wanted, Kurt. I just wanted you to know, it's only fair for the both of us"

Kurt was only able to stare at Ethan with a look of complete surprise on his face. What was he supposed to do now? What was he supposed to say? Ethan was still an important friend to him, that fact hadn't changed one bit. And he'd just said he had no intention in coming between Kurt and Blaine, so how bad could things actually be?

"So.. are- are we still on for the ball?" Kurt stuttered out and nearly slapped himself for letting his mouth speak before thinking once again.

Ethan let out a disbelieving laugh. "Well, I-uh, yes? You still want to go with me?"

Kurt considered for a moment. "Yes. Yes, I, I still want to go with you" Then he was suddenly off of the ground and Ethan was spinning him around. He tried to hush the other boy, in vain, but he couldn't help but to smile with his friend.

"Thank you so much, Kurt. I was sure that you'd just ditch my sorry ass, and that you'd never want anything to do with me again"

They stopped spinning and Kurt was back on his feet again, smiling up at Ethan and not having to force it at all.

"I'd never do that, Ethan. You're one of my best friends", he said truthfully before giving Ethan a quick peck on the cheek.

"Only a friend?" Ethan asked teasingly, though he knew that was exactly what Kurt had meant.

"Goodnight, Ethan", Kurt said sternly, "Get back to your dorm"

Ethan grinned widely before waving his goodbyes and disappearing down the hallway and to the stairs. Kurt stared after him with a mixed look of worry and adoration on his face. Neither of them noticed Jonathan who was standing against the wall, his eyes wide as he processed the information he'd just obtained.

_I need to talk to Blaine._

* * *

**A/N: once again; I'm so terribly sorry for my lack of updating. I've been busy with my summer activities (which is very surprising..), but I'm here now. Personally I was not very pleased with this chapter, but I hope you won't think it's complete poop on your screen. (And yes, Blaine will be back soon , don't worry)**


	28. Chapter 28

**A/N: so... I tried to be faster with this update... mission failed. I'm so sorry, once again. I'm feeling like some sort of an abusing spouse... I always say I'm sorry, but I still won't change. And yet you keep coming back :D Jokes aside, this time I have a good reason for not updating. I was on a month long adventure in the middle of the woods, where no computer has ever gone. I had fun, but I still feel sorry for not updating!**

* * *

Dalton's cafeteria was even louder than usually on Friday. Every boy was busy bragging about their dates or planning for their own after parties while the more fashion forward ones were panicking over their suits. Kurt poked his meat loaf in distaste while he half-listened to Wes and David's debate on wrist corsages. A moment later he sighed and dropped the fork before turning to Jonathan who was sitting beside him.

"Please, Jonathan. You have to come to the ball", he whined, probably for the hundredth time that day.

The younger boy shook his head as he wiped his mouth clean with a napkin. "No, Kurt. I'm sorry, but I really don't want to come. I don't see why people fuss over some dance anyway"

Kurt let out a small whine and leaned his head on Jonathan's shoulder, rubbing his face against it. "Please? Pretty, pretty please? I'd hate to think that you were all alone while the rest of us are spending time together"

"No"

Kurt groaned and banged his head on the table. "Nick?" he pleaded quietly.

The dark haired boy quickly sprung to action. "C'mon Jonathan, it can be fun! Me and Jeff will be there to keep you company the entire night and if that doesn't sound tempting I'm sure we could still find you a date"

"Yeah!" Jeff chimed in, nodding enthusiastically, "I think I heard Lauren say to David that there's still a lot of available girls in Crawford. Right David?"

Kurt's head shot up at Jeff's words and he quickly turned his wide eyes back to Jonathan. _Girls?_

"..What?" Jonathan asked tentatively, "Is there something on my face?"

"No, no, nothing", Kurt said hurriedly before quickly turning his attention back to his plate of untouched meatloaf. "I just- Jeff said girls and I- I never really knew- I mean I didn't-"

"You didn't think I was straight?" Jonathan provided, causing Kurt to blush because of his sudden bluntness.

It was true that Kurt had never actually considered Jonathan's sexuality in any way. It was hard to get a hang on Jonathan since he never talked about girls or boys in a sense that could make his sexuality known. But still Kurt had always thought that he was a bit.. delicate for a boy his age. Not that he thought only gay men could be delicate, of course not. That would be very narrow-minded and Kurt was gay himself, he didn't have any prejudices like that.

... At least he thought he didn't have.

Kurt recomposed himself quickly and opened his mouth to answer, but Jonathan was already speaking.

"Well, I guess that's understandable since I _am_ gay"

Nick spit the water from his mouth towards Kurt who jumped up from his seat to dodge the spray, squeaking in surprise while everyone else stared at Jonathan with shocked expressions. The whole cafeteria's attention was now on their table and the ruckus they were causing.

"What?" Jonathan said, sounding tired. "You never even asked me"

The air was quickly filled with the mixed voices of the occupants of the table who were all talking in unison, trying to get a hang on the fact that their friend had just come out of the closet as Jonathan kept calmly eating his lunch. Kurt ignored the scene in front of him while he wiped off the water splashes Nick had managed to get on his blazer with a napkin, wrinkling his nose in distaste.

"What exactly is going on?"

Kurt lifted his eyes from his uniform and gave Ethan a half-smile before returning back to his task.

"We were begging for Jonathan to come to the ball and then he told us he's gay", he mumbled.

Ethan's eyes widened in surprise before a smile rose on his lips. "Well, I really don't see how those two things are connected, but good for him"

Kurt hummed in agreement before huffing in frustration at his wet blazer and throwing the napkin away. Nick and Jeff were now hugging each other, apparently trying to comfort themselves for all of the hot girls they'd lost because of thinking they had to save them for Jonathan, while the said boy stayed seated with an indifferent expression on his face.

"Speaking of the ball, what are your thoughts about bowler hats?" Ethan said in a contemplative tone.

"A very strict; no", Kurt answered quickly with a smirk, "Trust me, Taylor. You can't rock that"

"I'm hurt"

Kurt chuckled along with Ethan before turning his eyes back to Jonathan and smiling softly at him.

"I guess I should go talk to him. But I'll see you there at seven?"

"At seven", Ethan agreed with a smile and a pat on Kurt's back before disappearing to the mass of students walking out of the cafeteria.

* * *

"How about Zachary Nielsen?"

"Kurt, I'm telling you, I'm not coming to the ball", Jonathan groaned, "Besides, the reason Zachary is still available it that he has more dandruff in his head than Blaine's has gel"

Kurt stuck his tongue out at his friend and threw a pillow at him before returning back to coiffing his hair. News of Jonathan's newly discovered sexuality had quickly travelled across the school, and while some were still trying to get over the surprise, Kurt had already accepted it. And besides, now that he knew Jonathan would prefer male company for the ball, it was easier for him to suggest dates since all of available Dalton students were an option.

"Okay fine. This is my last attempt", he promised as he finished with his hair before spinning around to face Jonathan. "You can just come to the ball, dateless and hang out with us, or the supervising teachers if our company really is that horrible. I mean, if you've never even been to a dance how can you know you won't like it?"

Jonathan shrugged, and Kurt quickly continued now that he wasn't as opposing as earlier.

"I heard Mr. Stone is going to be one of the supervisors", he tried, "You like his classes, right?"

Saying that Jonathan liked Mr. Stone's classes was a colossal understatement. Jonathan practically worshipped their English teacher, because he was always glad to stay after class to discuss with Jonathan about literature, which was something that his predecessor had avoided at all costs.

"Is he?" Jonathan asked, his voice a bit too high.

The boy quickly cleared his throat and lowered his eyes to watch his hands pick the pillow Kurt had thrown at him.

"...I guess, I could consider coming"

Kurt's eyes widened when he saw the small blush on his roommate's cheeks.

"Oh my god"

"What?"

"You have a crush on Mr. Stone!" Kurt exclaimed with a grin, making Jonathan blush even redder.

"I do not!" the boy said quickly.

"You do!"

"Do not!"

"Do so!"

"Okay, this is childish", Jonathan said sternly as he got up from his bed, "And I will not argue about this with you, when it's clear that there's nothing between me and Ben- Mr. Stone and I than a simple teacher-student relationship"

Kurt held his tongue instead of letting Jonathan know he'd noticed the small slip of almost calling their teacher by his first name, as the shorter boy walked over to the bathroom.

"So are you coming to the ball or not?" Kurt asked as he watched Jonathan dig out his brush and hair products.

"...Yes", Jonathan answered shortly before slamming the bathroom door shut behind him while Kurt began digging out his dress shirts and blazers, smiling knowingly every time he glanced at the bathroom door.

* * *

Dalton's spring ball was always held in the sports hall (since the word "gym" was apparently too countrified for Dalton), but the decorations -which far succeeded the ones Kurt had seen in previous school dances- covered the brick walls almost completely and managed to make the hall look like an actual ballroom.

Color theme was a bit too generic for Kurt's taste, but white and pale blue did definitely fit well with the season. Though the fake snow -which had flowers sticking out of it, representing the spring- was a bit too much.

Kurt dragged Jonathan with him through the people who had gathered to stand all around the room to chat with their friends closer to Jeff and Nick, who were easy to spot thanks to their rather.. _bold _ choice of clothing.

"Oh, hey it's Jonathan!" Jeff shouted happily when he noticed them and lifted his rainbow-colored, oversized sunglasses off of his eyes and up to his forehead to see them properly. "We didn't think you were coming, man"

"Yeah, what made you change your mind?" Nick chimed in and let out an exaggerated 'ooh'ing sound immediately after when he noticed Jonathan's reddening cheeks. "Or should I ask who?"

Jonathan averted his eyes from Nick's and started at his shoes instead, muttering a quiet "none of your business".

"Okay first of all; leisure suits are probably the worst thing to ever happen", Kurt said, giving both of the boys a meaningful look, "And second; Jonathan didn't come because of a guy. He's here because I bribed him. Promised to clean the bathroom for a month"

Nick scrunched his nose in disgust, Jeff making a wry face by his side while Jonathan shot Kurt a grateful look which the other by returned with a wink. The fo keptur of them began to walk away to the tables so they could sit down and wait for Ethan to come. Kurt noticed how Jonathan kept trying to look over people's heads to find a certain English teacher, and the boy quickly hid his laughter by placing a hand over his mouth.

"Excuse me?"

Kurt spun around a when he heard the familiar voice, his eyes widening in surprise when he saw Blaine standing behind him, dressed impeccably in a dark green vest and a white bowtie with dark dress shirt and trousers.

Kurt opened his mouth to speak, to ask how he'd managed to make it after all, but was silenced by Blaine's finger on his lips.

"I was wondering if you maybe wanted to dance with me?" Blaine said, a playful twinkle in his eyes, that was positively making Kurt's stomach do flips, leaving him unable to do anything else but nod.

Blaine smiled as bright as the sun as he led Kurt to the dance floor, where a lot of the other couples were already dancing. If Kurt would've been able to see anything but Blaine, he would've been awed by the sight of girl couples clinging to each other as they rocked from side to side among all of the gay couples he knew from Dalton, dancing there with all of the straight teenagers without anyone batting an eyelid.

"I didn't know you were coming", Kurt finally said after he'd placed his hand on Blaine's waist and Blaine had his laying on Kurt's shoulder as they slowly rocked on the dance floor.

"I didn't know either. Grandpa was actually the one who arranged this", Blaine answered with a smile, "Guess that old killjoy still has some surprises left. Or he was just tired of me sitting on his bedside all day, moaning about not being here to dance with my handsome boyfriend"

Kurt gave him a dubious roll of his eyes, but smiled nonetheless. "Well, I'm not complaining. In fact I think I'm going to buy your grandfather a muffin basket as a thank you"

Blaine smiled widely at Kurt's comment, his eyes drifting down to take a proper look at his boyfriend's ensemble. He was wearing a grey blazer with rolled up sleeves, a white dress shirt underneath it with a black tie, and fitting black trousers. Blaine's eyes widened quickly as he remembered something and let go of Kurt to push his hands to his pockets.

"Blaine?" Kurt asked with a raised brow, "What are you doing?"

"Wait just a second...", Blaine mumbled, still concentrating on his pockets, "I wanted to get something for you and me, you know to make our outfits match so I-", he pulled two small white roses out of his pocket, "bought these"

"Blaine those are.. they're beautiful", Kurt gasped and took one of the roses to examine it, "And you even managed no to kill them, though they were in your pocket?..Oh, wait let me"

Blaine was already placing the other rose on his vest's breast pocket, but Kurt swatted his hands away and placed his rose to the pocket, smoothing down the vest as he withdrew his hands.

"There"

Blaine smiled down at the flower as he leaned over to place his rose to Kurt's blazer. "Looks great"

Kurt raised his arms back up with a questioning look on his face, inviting Blaine to dance with him again. The other boy complied happily and returned to their previous position, resting his head on Kurt's shoulder.

"They're so cute", Jonathan sighed from where he was sitting, his cheek leaned against his hand as he watched his friends dance together.

Jeff snorted, but with a small smile on his lips. "You're such a fanboy. I wouldn't be surprised if you had a scrapbook dedicated to those two"

"Oh, shut up. You're just as happy for them as I-"

"Sorry, have you seen Kurt?"

Both of the boys froze when they heard that voice. Jonathan forced a smile on his face as he turned around on his seat to look at Ethan.

"Oh, hi Ethan. Um, Kurt's there. Dancing.. with Blaine"

Ethan's eyes widened in surprise and he quickly looked at the direction Jonathan had pointed to see it himself. "Blaine? Wasn't he supposed to be out of town?"

"He was, yes, but he apparently came back early", Jonathan said, shifting uncomfortably on the chair.

Ethan let out a small displeased hum before sitting down on the opposite side of Jonathan and Jeff. Jeff shoot Jonathan a suspicious look, but the other boy was unable to do anything but to shrug in confusion. The three of them sat in silence, waiting for the song to end and for Kurt and Blaine to return from the dance floor. Saying that the awkwardness was palpable would be an understatement.

Jeff kept looking around (probably searching for Nick so he could disappear) and drumming his fingers against the edge of the table while Jonathan scrubbed invisible dirt off of his sleeve. Ethan merely stared at the dancing couples with a sullen expression on his face.

"So, uh, how are you?" Ethan tried after a while, "How're the Warblers?"

Jeff shrugged without even glancing at the boy, but Jonathan tried to maintain at least some politeness.

"Good. Wes, David and Thad are really busy with our setlist for regionals", he said.

"Any solos for either of you?" Ethan asked as he fiddled with the tablecloth.

"No, at least I haven't heard anything. Jeff?"

"No, I- oh wait, there's Nick!" Jeff said, barely managing to hide the relief in his voice, "I need to go, we have a- we have a prank to pull. Excuse me"

Jonathan glared daggers at his friend's retreating back, but turned his eyes back to the dance floor when he heard the song ending and a more upbeat one replacing it. Kurt and Blaine were walking back towards them, holding hands and laughing at something, neither of them noticing Ethan before he was right in front of them.

"Ethan!" Kurt exclaimed his eyes widening in shock, "I'm so sorry I completely forgot-"

"It's okay. I understand", Ethan hurried to say, smiling politely at Blaine, "Since Blaine is now back there's no reason for you to be my date. But I hope we can still hang-"

"Wait what?" Blaine interrupted, his eyes shifting between Kurt and Ethan, "He was your date?"

Jonathan quietly got up from his seat and started sneaking away to the punch bowl.

"Shit, I forgot to tell you", Kurt swore under his breath. "Look, Blaine, you weren't here and since neither me or Ethan had no one else to go with we decided we could be each other's dates. It's not a big deal"

Blaine's eyes hardened just so, and Kurt doubted anyone else but him even noticed it.

"Well, I'm sorry I took your date then, Ethan", Blaine said, not sounding sorry at all, his hand tightening its hold on Kurt's.

Kurt threw Blaine a scolding look before turning back Ethan.

"You can still hang out with us. The more the merrier. Even Jonathan came after a- Where's Jonathan?"

Kurt craned his neck to look around for his friend, not noticing the tight smiles and cold eyes Blaine and Ethan offered for each other.

"I guess, it's just the three of us then", Kurt said with an overly cheery voice and some forced laughter.

"Great", Blaine and Ethan said in unison, neither of them even turning their eyes to Kurt.

* * *

_Oh, dear god -or whatever it is that's up there; kill me now, please._

Loud music kept playing through the night which Kurt was very thankful for, because if they'd played anything slower, the silence would've definitely become unbearable. All his attempts at sparking a conversation had been prevented by the two stone-faced teenagers.

"I think I'll get something to drink. You guys want any?" he asked politely, his feet ready to get him the hell out of the awkward situation.

"No, thank you"  
"I'm fine thanks"

Kurt nodded at Ethan and Blaine's words, already walking away from the two of them and towards the table where the punch bowl was laying. He quickly grabbed himself a cup and took some of the punch.

_Please be spiked, please be spiked.._

Sadly for him, he quickly noticed no one had decided to interfere with the alcohol-freeness of the drink.

The other students were having a great time with their friends and dates. Kurt pretty much wanted to punch every single one of them in the face.

"Psst"

"Psst, Kurt!"

Kurt nearly spat the punch out of his mouth.

"Nick? Jeff? What the hell are you doing under the table?"

Nick lifted up the tablecloth and gestured for Kurt to join the two of them. "We need you"

"For what?" Kurt asked incredulously, taking a step back from the table.

"Does it really matter?" Jeff retorted, throwing a pointed look towards the table where Blaine and Ethan were sitting, steadily glaring daggers at each other.

"... Good point. Scoot over"

* * *

"I don't like you", Blaine said finally, proud of himself for saying it aloud.

Ethan's eyes widened in surprise.

"Oh. Could've fooled me, I thought we were friends, Anderson", Ethan countered with a pout on his face and all the sarcasm he could muster.

Blaine chuckled humorlessly before letting his eyes harden again. "I think we both know why you and I can never be friends, _Taylor. _You are an annoying prick, who's more self-centered than anyone I've ever met and you have absolutely no respect towards anyone. And I have a sneaking suspicion you've never felt anything close to love towards anyone on this planet. Not to mention the fact that you keep ogling my boyfriend, like you're pretending to be some lovesick puppy when in reality you just want to add him to your long list of meaningless one night stands!"

Ethan smirked at the shorter boy, but there was something weird behind the look in his eyes, that Blaine couldn't quite place. The older boy pushed himself up from his seat and clapped. "Congratulations, Mr. Anderson", he said coolly, "Seems like you know everything about me"

Blaine was just about to open his mouth to speak, but he was interrupted when Ethan's phone began ringing in his breast pocket. Ethan quickly grabbed it and took a look at the caller ID, frowning to himself before shooting Blaine a fake smile.

"Excuse me, it's really loud in here, so I'll just-", he said gesturing towards the hall's door, before turning his back to Blaine and walking away, leaving the other boy sitting all by himself, glaring angrily after the other boy.

Kurt waddled away from the punch bowl (his leg had fallen asleep) and the table where Nick and Jeff were now standing after their and Kurt's well thought plan of filling their principals car with painted ostrich eggs. Kurt had declined the actual "prank"-part of the plan, but he'd been kind enough to promise not to tell anyone.

He smiled at Blaine when the other boy spotted him and got up from his seat to walk over to him.

"Hi. Where's Ethan?"

"He got a phone call. But where were you? You left like half an hour ago", Blaine asked, slipping his hand into Kurt's and pulling him to the dance floor with him.

"I just had to help Niff with.. well it's top secret really"

"Oh, is it now. I'm sure it has nothing to do with the picture of an ostrich they just sent me?"

"Nope"

Blaine chuckled at Kurt's expression, pulling the boy closer to him and twirling him around when a new song began.

"This is harder this way! You're the one who's short, I should be spinning you!" Kurt shouted over the loud music, laughing to himself.

"I'm not short!"

Kurt shot Blaine a doubting look before letting go of his hand and starting to move along with the crowd and dance to the music. Though he did add some of his own more humoristic gestures to the moves.

"You look ridiculous!" Blaine laughed, staring at his boyfriend in amusement as he spun around while waving his legs and arms awkwardly, almost elbowing the people around him in the face.

"Yeah, and you don't! C'mon join me! Let's look like idiots together!"

Blaine shook his head to himself, but started jumping up and down to the beat with Kurt, the two of them screaming the lines of the song to each other, which quickly made the people around them to move so they had a small empty circle around them. They laughed at the more and more exaggerated moves they'd come up with and sang along to all of the songs they recognized (and even to the ones they had never heard before).

* * *

"Oh god! This is so fun! Let's go dance more", Blaine said excitedly after they'd just sat, already prepared to jump back up.

Kurt grabbed his boyfriend's arm and pulled him back down next to him.

"No way. My feet are hurting and I'm really thirsty. And I know you are too, you're just too pumped to realize it. It's just like that soccer camp all over again"

"Hey, I was nine! I wasn't exactly well educated on the dangers of dehydration"

"Well, I was"

"Of course you were! You were like a walking information package at that time", Blaine said, continuing with a higher voice, " Blaine, did you know that I can name over thirty different eye diseases? Would you like to hear 'em? Conjunctivitis, stye, retinitis pigmentosa.. God, you were such a pain in the ass"

"Shut up", Kurt mumbled, pushing Blaine's face away from him, making Blaine chuckle again.

After a moment of silence they spent by watching everyone else dance, Blaine let out a sigh and leaned is head against Kurt's shoulder with a peaceful smile.

"Are you tired?" Kurt asked softly and brought his hand up to stroke the other boy's hair.

"No", Blaine answered with a small shake of his head. "I mean the trip back here was pretty tiring, but I'm just really happy that I made it back here in time"

"I'm happy you made it too"

Blaine smiled at Kurt's words and pouted his lips out in hope of getting a small peck from his boyfriend, but they were interrrupted suddenly when Ethan ran to them with a scared expression on his face, shouting Kurt's name.

"What's wrong?" Kurt asked worriedly, straightening up on his seat.

"It's Erica, I- I can't explain right now, but Kurt I really need to get home and I don't have a ride-"

"I'll drive you", Kurt said without a moment of hesitation. If his friend looked like that, it meant that something really bad had happened and Kurt Hummel was not the one to abandon his friends in the time of need.

"Thank you", Ethan breathed out, sounding relieved.

Kurt made a move to get up from his seat, but it was prevented by a hand on his shoulder.

"Wait, wait, wait, wait, hold on!" Blaine exclaimed, clearly annoyed. "Who's Erica? And why can't you ask any of your other friends to drive you?"

Ethan and Kurt's eyes met briefly, the older boy silently begging Kurt to not tell anything.

"I'll... I'll explain everything when I get back okay?" Kurt said quietly and leaned over to give Blaine a quick kiss. "I love you. I'll come find you when I get back". And then he was gone, already jogging away from the hall with Ethan by his side.

* * *

"Ethan,what exactly is going on?"

Kurt was already backing away from the parking space while watching Ethan toy with his hans anxiously.

"I don't even know for sure", the boy answered, his voice thick with worry, "Erica called me from dad's phone and she was crying and saying that it was too dark... I think dad might've locked her in the basement"

Kurt nearly pressed the brake pedal out of pure shock, but he managed to stop himself and keep driving towards the road.

"What?"

"He did it once before. It's his idea of a "time-out", I guess. But the last time it happened I was home and Erica didn't have to stay in there for long,now even mom is out of town and I'm here and... Oh god, I shouldn't have left her alone with him!" Ethan shouted and buried his face in his hands, shoulders shaking as if he was crying.

Kurt, uncertain of what to do, tentatively reached out his right hand to stroke Ethan's back with it.

"It's going to be alright, Ethan", he said soothingly, trying to sound as convincing as he could. "Your sister will be fine"

* * *

Blaine tapped his finger against his empty glass, making it clink for the eighty-sixth time after he'd finished it. He kept glaring at the couples who were dancing to the last song of the night, all pressed close to each other with happy smiles on their faces.

He let out a huff of breath and rolled his eyes tiredly. _Guess he's not coming back after all_, he thought bitterly and got up from his seat, ready to march back to his room and mope until Kurt would finally return.

"Blaine! Blaine, wait up!"

Blaine turned his head a bit to see Jonathan hurrying towards him with a smile. "What's the matter? I didn't see you and Kurt dancing and I started wondering where you two had gone. Well, Nick said that you'd probably snuck off to one of your rooms, but- Wait, where _is _ Kurt?"

Jonathan looked around in confusion, as if Kurt was just simply hiding behind Blaine's back.

"He left", Blaine answered shortly.

"Oh. He did? Where?"

"I don't know. Ethan came to get him and they left. Seemed pretty urgent", Blaine said nonchalantly, trying his best to hide the annoyance in his voice before starting to walk away again.

"Wait, Ethan came to get him?" Jonathan asked again, hurrying after his friend, "Why?"

"I don't know, okay?" Blaine snapped, regretting it the second after he'd said it. He had no right to be acting like this towards Jonathan. It wasn't him who he was pissed at. "I'm sorry, Jonathan, I'm just pretty tired and-"

"Blaine, I think there's something you should know", the shorter boy said quietly, "I mean, I don't think it really matters in the end, but considering that Kurt just ran off with Ethan, I think it's only fair that you hear about this"

A small wrinkle appeared on Blaine's forehead as his eyebrows scrunched in confusion. He tried to see Jonathan's eyes to work out what was going on, but the other boy kept his eyes fixed on the floor.

"About what, Jonathan?" Blaine asked quietly, but with a demanding tone.

Jonathan slowly lifted his gaze, showing Blaine the torn look in his eyes. " A couple of nights ago after Kurt got back from the hospital, we ran into Ethan in the hallway..."

* * *

Kurt eyed at the flaky paint on the walls of the small house before him with a sad expression on his face. The rusty mesh fence around the yard and the unmowed lawn as well as the exterior of the house told a sad story of the life inside it. It definitely didn't seem like a happy place to live in.

The door opened with a clicking sound. Ethan quickly pushed his keys back into his pocket before running inside the house.

"Hello? Anybody home?" he called out, but after getting no response he headed towards the kitchen to get to the basement door and to free his sister.

Kurt walked into the house with tentative steps, and quickly decided that the place was in a desperate need for cleaning. The stairs leading upstairs, that were almost right in front of the frontdoor had a carpet surface on them that had probably once been beige, but now it was a disgusting mixture of green and yellow.

He quickly followed after Ethan to the kitchen and as he walked through the living room with one small threadbare couch and a lumpy armchair (which both had some form of food scraps on them) Kurt felt the lump that had been in his throat ever since they'd arrived to Ethan's neighborhood grow bigger.

When Kurt stepped into the kitched he immediately heard the unmistakeable sound of sobbing. He followed it to find Ethan sitting against a wall, with a little girl with blonde hair just like her brother's in his lap, crying softly.

"Hi", Kurt whispered, making Ethan lift his head up to meet his eyes, "Can I sit down with you two?"

"Sure", Ethan answered and patted the empty space by his side before turning back to his sister. "Erica? Hey, this is a friend of mine. Do you want to say hi?"

The girl slowly lifted her head up from Ethan's shoulder and wiped her eyes with her hands before nodding. Kurt smiled warmly at the girl. She was a few years older now, but she was definitely the same girl who had comforted him in the park.

"Hi, Erica. I'm Kurt", he said and offered the girl a smile once again. "You probably won't remember, but we met once when you were a bit younger?"

Erica's face scrunched up in concentration as she tried to remember him, and after a moment, realization dawned on her face.

"You were the sad prince who was bullied because you liked princes instead of princesses!"

Kurt was a bit taken aback by her words, but when he looked at Ethan the other boy just mouthed "just play along".

"Um, yeah, I think I was!" Kurt said happily, still a bit baffled, but pleased that the girl wasn't crying anymore.

"Have you found yourself another prince who likes princes, too?" Erica asked seriously, making Kurt almost chuckle at her adorableness.

"Yeah. I have"

* * *

The three of them spend an hour or two by playing and having ticklefights, and after a while Kurt was almost sad that he didn't have any younger siblings. Erica was the sweetest person he'd ever met, and she was constantly asking him how did it feel to be in love. At first Kurt was a bit worried that he'd be making things awkward to Ethan by talking about Blaine with his little sister, but everytime Erica asked something about "Kurt's beloved prince", he just smiled fondly at his sister without any traces of jealousy on his face.

After a particularly intense game of _the-floor-is-lava,_ and they were all lying on Ethan's bedroom floor Erica yawned loudly, making Ethan smile knowingly.

"Are you tired?"

"No!" Erica exclaimed, jumping up on her feet again. "I still want to play with you gu-u-uys", she said, her speech getting interrupted by another yawn.

"Okay, that's it. Time to brush your teeth and change into your pajamas", Ethan said and got up, before hauling the girl over his shoulder despite her protests.

Kurt got up himself, and brushed his pants clean, examining his blazer and wrinkled dress shirt, already preparing for the long laundry day that was surely awaiting him.

"Are you leaving?"

Kurt quickly looked up to see Ethan leaning against the doorframe with a small smile on his face.

"Yeah, I probably should it's pretty late and- Shit!"

Kurt quickly pulled his phone out of his pocket and groaned when he saw the time.

"What?" Ethan asked in confusion.

"It's eleven thirty-five. They close the gates of the school at eleven thirty. There's no way I could get back to my dorm room", Kurt wighed tiredly, "Which means, that I have to drive all the way to Lima and-"

"You can stay here"

Kurt froze at Ethan's words. He could feel the uncertainty bubbling inside him, but still, not having to drive for two hours just to find a bed to sleep in...

"Kurt, there's no ulterior motive whatsoever", Ethan assured, noticing the look of doubt on Kurt's face, "Just, think of it as a thank you. For being there for me and Erica today"

Kurt hesitated only for a moment before nodding and smiling gratefully. "Thanks, I really appreciate it"

"Okay, great", Ethan said with a smile, "I'll go find you a mattress to sleep on"

Kurt nodded again as Ethan left the room and sat on the floor before pulling his phone out again. He speed-dialed Blaine's number and lifted the phone on his ear, ready to apologize for not making it back.

But the phone kept beeping and no one answered.

_Maybe, he's already sleeping, _Kurt thought, _Or maybe he turned the sound off._

After a few more seconds of waiting, Kurt decided to give up and explain everything to Blaine tommorrow. He put the phone away, before walking out to the hallway, while unbuttoning his blazer and loosening his tie.

"Ethan? Do you have anything I could sleep in?"

* * *

Blaine sat with his head against his knees, his back leaning against Kurt's dorm room door. He'd already been sitting there for... (two hours? Three?), but Kurt still hadn't returned. He was starting to lose it.

"Blaine?" Jonathan said softly from the other side of the door. "I don't think he's coming"

When Jonathan got no answer he sighed and placed his palm against the door for a moment before walking over to his bed and sliding under the covers.

"Goodnight, Blaine", he called out towards the door, not even expecting an answer. "You really should go to sleep"

Blaine ignored the other boy and stayed put. He would wait until Kurt got back and then he'd demand some answers. And if he'd see Ethan Taylor, he'd definitely have a little chat with him too.


	29. Chapter 29

**A/N: Hi everyone! Yes, I've noticed the considerable fall in my writing, but I'm working on it. I'll try to be quicker with my updates and more focused while I write. Thank you to all of you who keep reading and reviewing and stuff! It's nice to get comments and ideas, so if you have any... I'm here!**

* * *

A small speck of dust floated down from the old lamp, making its way through the air, performing small flips on the way down. It landed on the nose of the boy who was sleeping on the floor peacefully, still wearing his clothes from the night before. On the bed the two siblings, a boy and a young girl were sleeping next to each other, their hands almost touching in the space between their bodies. The house was quiet and-

"Ah-ah-achoo!"

Ethan shot up on his bed (being a heavy sleeper, while living with his dad was not an option) and looked around frantically, his eyes still unfocused from the sleep.

"Sorry! It's just me!" Kurt said, trying to be as quiet as possible so they wouldn't wake up Erica, who was now stirring. "I just sneezed"

Ethan sighed in relief. For a moment he'd been scared that he'd woken up because his father had come home. Because at this moment, when Kurt was sleeping on the bedroom floor, and he was still mad at his dad himself for locking Erica in the basement... Just thinking about the consequences made him shudder.

He felt the blanket he'd been sleeping with being pulled off of his legs and turned his head to see his little sister tugging it to cover herself with it.

"Be quiet you two. 'M sleepy..", Erica mumbled tiredly before rolling over to her side again, already snoring only a few seconds later.

Ethan smiled fondly at her and stroked her hair softly once before turning to Kurt and mouthing "kitchen" at him. The two of them got up -Kurt with some difficulty- and walked out of the room and back downstairs to the small kitchen.

Kurt streched his arms above his head, his back still sore from sleeping on the bad mattress on the floor, and yawned as he glanced at the clock on the wall. It was still early, but he needed to get back to Dalton as soon as possible.

"I should probably get going soon", he said apologetically, "I have a lot of explaining to do and I really need to brush my teeth"

Ethan nodded in understanding as he pulled two cups out of one of the cabinets. "I'm sorry if this, you know, causes any trouble between you and Blaine".

"I don't think it will", Kurt assured with a smile as he sat down on one of the chairs around the small table. "I mean, yes, Blaine can be kind of... ill-tempered when it comes to stuff like this, but I'm sure everything will be fine".

"I only have tea, is that..?"

"Tea's fine", Kurt answered with a smile.

Ethan boiled them some water and took out some basic English Breakfast-tea as well as a few sugar cubes before placing everything on the table with the two cups he'd taken out earlier.

"Would you like something to eat?" Ethan asked uncertainly as he began pouring the water into their cups and placing the teabags in them as well, "I don't think we have any bread or something, but we have some cereals and-"

"I'm fine, Ethan", Kurt interrupted softly, "I'm not really hungry". That was a lie. He hadn't eaten since he left for the ball last night and his stomach was practically screaming, but he didn't want to intrude in the Taylor house any longer than it was necessary.

"Okay. By the way, would you mind driving me back there as well? I have my laptop in my dorm and I was supposed to work on an assignment this weekend", Ethan asked as he took a sip from his cup, not adding any sugar to it.

"Sure. But what about Erica?"

"She'll be fine. I can ask our neighbor to take care of her. She's a nice lady and she's helped us out before, so I don't think there will be any problems"

Kurt nodded and took a sip from his tea as well. Bland. Almost like drinking plain water. He barely resisted the urge to spit it out.

"Okay. We'll go as soon as she wakes up", he said with a smile as he set the cup back down on the table with no intention of finishing it.

Ethan didn't seem to mind though. They both sat quietly on the table, both finding it hard to think of things to talk about. They both knew that the previous night would definitely have some affect on their relationship, mainly because of Blaine. It would probably be hard to calm him down if he'd already gotten upset.

_I'm sure he's fine, _Kurt thought to himself, _he's probably sleeping right now and not worried or pissed at all. I mean, it's Blaine! He can't be anything else but calm and understanding._

_... I hope._

* * *

Kurt stared at the sight before him with wide eyes. Blaine was sleeping in front of his and Jonathan's dorm room, curled to a ball like a puppy or a kitten, snoring lightly. There was a small frown stuck on his face and he kept making quiet groaning sounds every now and then. Kurt kneeled down next to his boyfriend and reached his hand out to poke his shoulder.

"Blaine", he hissed, hoping that he wasn't waking anyone up. "Blaine, get up"

The boy let out a frustrated huff before pushing himself up and rubbing his face tiredly. It took him a moment to realize that it was Kurt who'd waken him up, but when he did, he flashed a smile before remembering his reason for sleeping on the hallway and let his eyes harden again.

"Why were you sleeping here?" Kurt asked worriedly, placing his hand on Blaine's forehead, "It gets really cold here during the night, you could've gotten fever-" He was cut off mid-sentence when Blaine pushed his hand away grumpily and gave him a glare. Kurt returned it with a look confusion and hurt.

"Where were you?" Blaine asked before giving Kurt any chance to scold him more.

"What? I was with Ethan, you know that", Kurt answered warily, already trying to think of a good explanation without spilling Ethan's secrets.

Blaine let out a small annoyed groan and rolled his eyes before turning them back to Kurt again. "Yes, I know that you were with Ethan. But I want to know, where exactly you two were and what were you doing. Not to mention the fact that you're only returning now!" Kurt lifted a finger over his lips and hushed him.

"Be quiet, you might wake someone up"

"Oh, please. Like you really care about that!" Blaine spat out, his voice more biting and venomous than Kurt had ever heard before, "You're just scared to admit what you and Ethan were up to entire night"

Kurt's eyes widened in surprise, but his expression quickly melted away and got replaced by anger, which was something that he'd never directed at Blaine before. But how else was he supposed to react? Of course he had known Blaine would be suspicious, but flat out accusing him of something like that... That was unacceptable.

"What the hell is your problem?" he snapped, "I've told you million times that I love you, that there's nothing going on between me and Ethan, and you still think I would cheat on you with him?"

"Well, you have to admit, it is kind of strange that the two of you just ran away last night without any explanation and now you show up here in the same clothes you wore yesterday, clearly having spent the night somewhere else than where you should've been", Blaine retorted.

The air between them was almost crackling with the tension they both felt. The hallway was still empty aside from the two of them, but Kurt could hear people starting to move around in their rooms after hearing their now rather loud voices.

"It got too late to drive back and Ethan said I could spend the night at his house, that's all!"

"Why were you at his house in the first place?" Blaine demanded, making Kurt gulp loudly and turn his eyes away.

"I can't tell you", he said quietly, his anger bubbling up again when he heard Blaine's disbelieving snort, "I can't. It's Ethan's business, and not mine to tell! He had some... family difficulties that he needed help with"

"And he asked you?" Blaine said incredulously, "He has known you for only a few months, why would he ask you instead of all of his other friends?"

Kurt groaned in frustration and nearly started pulling his hair. Why did Blaine have to be like that? They should already have made up and gone downstairs to make breakfast together while singing cheesy love songs.

"Okay, fine. If you're not going to believe me, there's nothing I can do about it", he said, trying to sound as calm as he could as he stood up and prepared to push Blaine out of his way so he could get into his room, "Just so you know, your weird insecurities about me leaving you are starting to get really tiring!"

"And so is your attitude!" Blaine yelled angrily, making Kurt halt in the middle of his actions.

Kurt blinked a couple of times before repeating carefully; "My attitude?"

"Yes, your attitude", Blaine said again as he got up as well so he could look straight into Kurt's eyes, "You always roll the blame on someone else when you know you're guilty, because you just have to be right. And now you're blaming me for my insecurities and running away, when I have done absolutely nothing wrong, whereas you have been running around with some other guy who is in love with you!"

"I always take the blame for my own actions!" Kurt shouted back, "Don't you dare blame me for something like that. And I haven't been running around with anyone! Ethan knows I love you and he respects it!"

Almost every single door on the hallway was now cracked open as people watched Kurt and Blaine yell at each other, insults and accusations after another, both of them refusing to stop until the other would back down.

Jeff and Nick had snuck out their rooms already during the night, but now they were standing in the staircase, peering around the corner with scared eyes as they watched their friends' watery eyes and red faces while they shouted.

"You know what, it doesn't matter what you and Ethan did anyway!" Blaine said after their screaming match had been going on a little while longer, "Because I forbid you from spending time with him and leading him on again!"

Kurt froze for a moment, as did everyone else who were watching the scene unfold, but as he recovered and spoke his voice was quiet, but steady. "You _forbid _me?"

Blaine sensed that he'd made a mistake and quickly lifted his hands up and opened his mouth to explain himself, but Kurt was already squeezing his hands into fists and practically shaking with rage.

"What happened to not wanting to be the jackass boyfriend?" he hissed, "Blaine Anderson, don't you dare treat me like I'm- Like I'm.. inferior to you! You have no right to dictate my life, or tell me who I'm allowed to spend time with!"

"I didn't mean-", Blaine tried to cut in, but Kurt interrupted him quickly.

"You didn't mean? Well, isn't that good, I feel better already!" he said sarcastically, smiling at Blaine with cold eyes, "You know what, Blaine, fuck you. You are acting like a complete asshole and I should've never dated you"

"What?_ Dated_? Are you breaking up with me?" Blaine asked, his eyes wide with surprise, but anger still raging inside of him.

Kurt crossed his arms in front of his chest and shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe I should, if this is how you're going to act"

"May I remind you that all of this isn't my fault? Aren't you the one, who refuses to tell me where the hell you were last night?"

"I already told you", Kurt groaned tiredly, "I can't tell you. It's Ethan's life and I'm not allowed to say"

"So, you care about these little "secrets" of his more than you care about keeping me in your life?" Blaine countered, making Kurt glare daggers at him.

"What are you saying? If I don't tell you, you'll break up with me?"

Blaine didn't answer.

Something in the air shifted, and suddenly it was quiet. The two of them stared at each other intently, while the others stared at them. The moment lasted long until Kurt broke the silence by shaking his head in disbelief and snorting.

"Well, fuck you too, Blaine", he said coolly before turning around and starting to walk away, ignoring all the whispers around him. He walked steadily closer to the staircase, already wondering how much gas his car still had. He wanted to go somewhere far away where he could be alone.

"Have fun with your arrogant little rich boy!" Blaine shouted before he could stop himself, "Don't come crying to me when he ditches your sorry ass!""

It only took a few seconds for Kurt to turn around and punch Blaine's face. The shorter boy ended up sitting on the floor, dumbfounded, staring up at Kurt, while holding his throbbing left cheek.

"You don't know anything about him!" Kurt screamed. Somewhere inside his head, he knew this wasn't going well, but he was too agitated to stop, "None of you do!" he shouted again, making some of the freshmen slam their doors closed in fear.

"Did you know the whole "arrogant rich boy"-thing is an act?" he hissed, turning back to Blaine, "He's actually here on a scholarship, but he was scared that he'd get shunned and bullied if he wouldn't be like everyone else. So he changed everything about himself, just so he could fit in with the rest of you idiots!"

Kurt knew he could stop, that he _needed _to stop, but it felt so good to finally let it all out. To let everyone else know the truth as well.

"Oh and you know what else? His dad is an alcoholic who beats him up and locks his little sister in the basement, his mom is a complete wreck and as if that wasn't enough, he comes to school only to be hated by everyone around him! But to him, even that is better because they don't hate the real him! You only hate the facade that he puts up in front of you, and-"

Blaine's eyes were wide, but they weren't looking at Kurt, and that made the boy stop his yelling. He frowned and spun around to see what Blaine was looking at, only to feel his stomach drop all the way down to his feet.

There, right by the staircase stood Ethan, holding Kurt's gray blazer on his hand, a sullen expression on his face. The hallway had turned completely quiet and everyone was looking back and forth between Kurt and Ethan, their eyes wide with shock.

"You, uh- You forgot this", Ethan said quietly, his voice not giving any signs of his feelings as he dropped the piece of clothing down. He then turned around and started walking back down the staircase without another word.

Only when Kurt heard the slam of the front door he ran after the boy despite Blaine and his friends' pleas for him to stop.

* * *

"Ethan! Ethan, I'm sorry!" Kurt cried out. He reached the older boy quickly and grabbed his arm to make him stop. They stood on the snowy ground, Ethan with his back to Kurt, who was desperately trying to keep himself from crying.

"I didn't- I didn't mean to. It just slipped out", he said, his voice only a whisper, but still loud enough to reach Ethan's ears.

Ethan let out a bitter laugh. "It doesn't matter how it happened. Now everyone knows I'm just a loser who isn't even enough for his own parents"

Kurt was shocked to hear the small hitch in his friend's voice. Ethan was crying and it was all his fault. Suddenly he felt how guilt settled over him, making his shoulders slump and eyes water even more. He tightened his hold on Ethan's sweater clad arm as he spoke.

"I really am sorry, and I promise I'll make it up to you-"

"No", Ethan hissed suddenly and turned around so he could see Kurt. His already reddish watery eyes felt like knives on Kurt's skin as the older boy glared at him. "You won't make it up, 'cause you can't! Kurt, this was the one thing, one thing in my life that I had control over. And no you've taken even that away from me? Trust me, nothing you could ever do or say will be good enough to make this up to me. I hate you, Kurt Hummel"

Kurt's eyes widened as Ethan spoke and pulled his hand away from his arm before starting to march away. Kurt lifted his hand up as if he could still catch the boy, but it was too late. He was already gone.

Kurt wrapped his arms tightly around himself to protect him from the stab of Ethan's words, but he could already feel the warm tears on his cheeks. All of the pain and frustration from his fight with Blaine returned along with all of the regret and guilt he had, making him fall on his knees and start gagging uncontrollably. It was the worst he'd felt since he'd left McKinley.

It was only the morning and he'd already managed to lose two of the people who were important to him. One of which had been in his life since childhood. Thinking of Blaine made Kurt only sob harder, but he was interrupted softly when a hand came down on his shoulder.

"You look like hell", Jeff said softly, offering Kurt a small ghost of a smile.

"Yeah. Thanks", Kurt mumbled as he wiped his nose on his sleeve, trying to sound sarcastic, but failing quite miserably. "Where's Nick? Shouldn't at least the two of you stay together?"

"He's with Blaine", Jeff answered as he sat down next to Kurt, wrapping his arm securely around the other boy's shoulders, "The poor guy was bawling his eyes out. Blaine, I mean"

Kurt nodded while staring out across the grounds, where he could still see Ethan just before he disappeared into his own dorm building. "Yeah, that seems to be going around at the moment"

Jeff sighed and leaned a bit closer to Kurt before speaking, "Look, I know you probably won't want my advice or whatever-"

"Oh, please. Share. If you have anything that could help, I'm ready to try"

Jeff allowed his lips to curl into a little smile at Kurt's words before continuing, "I think you should go in and make up with Blaine. After all, you were fighting over a stupid thing anyway. And now that you told everyone about Ethan's... situation, I believe everything will be much easier to explain"

Kurt shrugged absently, still staring at Ethan's dorm building with a frown on his face.

" He will be fine, Kurt", Jeff assured with a kind smile, "I promise if anyone in the Warblers makes fun of Ethan or says something disrespectful, I will kick their ass"

"... Okay", Kurt said after a moment and sniffed, "Thank you, Jeff. But could you, like, not pity him or anything. I don't think he'd appreciate that and-"

"No problemo", Jeff promised and got back up, offering his hand for Kurt to help him up. "Now, are you ready to get back in? I wouldn't ask otherwise, but my ass is kind of deep-frozen, and I'm worried it'll spread into some more important areas, if you know what I mean..."

Kurt let out a laugh, and though his voice was still raspy and snotty from crying, for a moment he almost felt like things were looking up again.

* * *

The door creaked open, casting a stripe of light onto the pillow, making Blaine groan and pull his blanket over his head to shield his eyes from it.

"Go away, Nick. I told you, I need to be alone", he mumbled, his voice barely audible.

"Okay, I just thought that maybe you wanted to talk"

Blaine was surprised that he didn't break his neck in his haste to sit up and see who was at the doorway. And sure enough, it was Kurt. He was biting his lip like always when he got nervous, and twisting his hands in front of him.

"You can- You can come in", Blaine said, pausing to clear his throat when he realized how broken his voice was.

Kurt stepped cautiously to the room as if he hadn't been spending most of his days in there for months and closed the door slowly behind him. The room was almost pitch dark and they could only see each others' faint figures and hear their calm breathing. The silence kept stretching and both of them were starting to feel the panic creep in.

"I'm sorry I-"  
"I didn't mean to-"

They both started to speak at the same time, only to quiet once more. Kurt walked slowly over to Blaine's bed before sitting down on the edge, Blaine feeling the bed dip slightly as he sat.

"I didn't mean to yell at you", he whispered.

"Me neither. I'm really sorry, Kurt", Blaine answered as Kurt went to lie down next to him so that they were facing each other in the darkness.

"Could we just agree that we're both idiots and be in love again?" Kurt said, even quieter than before, his voice almost cracking in the middle of the sentence.

Blaine smiled in relief and slid his arms around the other boy as Kurt did the same. They kissed softly for a while, and it wasn't passionate or exciting at all. It was safe and comforting, something to make them believe that they were fine, that despite their fight, they were still in love. They held each other tightly and laid there quietly for hours or minutes, it didn't matter. All that mattered that they were okay, and that was enough to convince Kurt that with time, everything else would okay as well.

"I'm never letting go of you, just so you know", Kurt mumbled tiredly against Blaine's jaw, making the other boy chuckle at the soft touch. Blaine tightened his hold on Kurt and pressed a quick kiss to the corner of his mouth.

"I'm never letting go of you, either"

* * *

**A/N (again): yeah well.. i was going to let fight a bit longer and leave you all frustrated and sad, but those two just refused to stay mad at each other, so yeah, what can i do? i'm just the writer. enjoy your dose of fluff!**


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